Smartwatches are no longer a fashionable accessories that adorn the wrist with the brand name of a smartphone manufacturer. In the meantime, warn us of illnesses and even choose the emergency call in an accident.
The next big step on which well -known manufacturers are filing: The non-invasive measurement of blood sugar levels. That happened:
- Samsung officially works on non-invasive monitoring of the glucose mirror over the. With such a solution, the skin no longer has to be pierced.
- Such a solution is potentially not only interesting for (early) diabetics. Nutrition and health-conscious people can also benefit from such a solution.
- The new technology would also have an important added value: signs of blood sugar disease could be recognized early before it develops into type 2 diabetes.
Samsung's Vice President Hon Pak reported on the work of his team and was confident (viaAndroid Authority).
»... As you may have suspected, we are working on a non-invasive optically-based continuous glucose monitor. I can't tell you when [the start], but I am very excited about the progress we make, and if we do it right, this will be a turning point. "
It is very likely that this technology will not be launched with the Galaxy 8 series. In addition to Samsung, other large companies such as Apple are also working on such a solution.
Apple has been working on it for more than a decade
The manufacturer from Cupertino started the project for non-invasive blood sugar measurement in 2010 and invested "hundreds of million dollars" in development. Beforereached. This means that the feasibility of a concept is checked in practice.
- At the time, Apple used a special chip that uses optical absorption spectroscopy. "Light is blasted by a laser to determine the glucose concentration in the blood".
- Unfortunately, Hon Pak does not reveal whether Samsung is pursuing a similar approach. As Mark Gurman reports, Apple's test product was as big as an iPhone and far from being as small as a smartwatch.
In addition to Apple and Samsung, Google should also work on such a solution in its research institutions behind closed doors. It is difficult to estimate when such a solution will see the light of the world.
It should still take years for a reliable solution to be found in our wearables. Whoever may be the first manufacturer to present such a solution: it could be a breakthrough in the area of smartwatches and health.
Until then, however, questions of reliability have to be clarified, and in the USA such a device must be approved by the »Us Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
So far, the FDA has no smartwatch or a smart ring to continue, Non-invasive blood sugar measurement approved. All devices currently on the market that allegedly offer this function are not released by the FDA and should not be used to treat diabetes.
The FDA even has oneWarning publishednot to use such devices because the measurements could be inaccurate and thus represent a health risk.
How do you like this development? Do you see an important development in monitoring the blood sugar level on the wrist that can help many people or are you still skeptical? Do you use the smartwatch to monitor your health or do you wear it to be accessible on the go without a cell phone? Write it in the comments below!
