Apple Watch already has a number of health-related functions, such as heart rate monitoring, stress monitoring, and more. The business is always developing innovative health and fitness functions for its wristwatches. It only started including an ECG in some models within the past few years. Now, there have been persistent rumours that a future version of the Apple Watch will include a blood glucose monitor. This new information corroborates earlier rumours.
Blood glucose monitoring support is coming soon to Apple Watch, which will allow diabetic and non-diabetic users to check their blood sugar levels without having to prick their fingers. Apple is rumoured to be working on a silicon photonics chip that uses optical absorption spectroscopy and a laser to detect glucose levels in the body without drawing blood.
Apple’s no-prick glucose monitoring is rumoured to be in the “proof-of-concept stage,” according to sources familiar with the matter; however, it will need to be significantly smaller in order to fit into a wearable. The prototype is reportedly the size of an iPhone and can be easily strapped onto a man’s forearm at the present time.
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Bloomberg estimates that it will be at least a decade before any commercially available product is developed. Even though no-prick monitors would be ideal, the industry has a poor track record of bringing them to market. Verily, Alphabet’s health subsidiary, decided to shelve plans for a smart contact lens that measured glucose levels in tears in 2018. Basically, not even the most well-known and well-funded companies have a guarantee of success, and it’s unclear how reliable Apple’s proposed solution would be.
The benefits of incorporating this technology into wearables are substantial. The Apple Watch is promoted heavily as a health tool due to its ability to monitor heart rhythm, detect hypoxia, and (with the release of Series 8) detect ovulation.
The ability to monitor glucose levels without requiring a device that punctures the skin, like a continuous glucose sensor that transmits data from a thin needle equipped with electrodes to an external receiver, could make it an invaluable aid for people with diabetes. The Apple Watch might have an advantage over other smartwatches because of its painless approach.
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Apple has been working for many years on a blood glucose monitor for a future watch, but the company has yet to confirm its existence. Reportedly starting in 2010, when Apple purchased RareLight, a startup in the field of blood glucose monitoring. Since then, the company has been working on the secretive project. The report highlights the close involvement of Apple’s top executives, including CEO Tim Cook, Apple Watch hardware lead Eugene Kim, and others.
For a long time, Apple has been developing non-invasive methods for monitoring blood sugar levels, but to this day, no commercially available product has eliminated the need for a finger prick. There have been rumblings that an Apple Watch with built-in glucose monitoring capabilities will not be released until much later.
Apple isn’t the only company to work on blood glucose monitoring technology; several others have, but none have released any actual products. Verily, a health division of Alphabet, scrapped plans for a smart contact lens in 2018 that would have measured glucose levels in tear fluid. The ability of future Apple Watches to accurately monitor blood glucose without requiring a prick of the skin is an intriguing prospect.
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