Google has filed a patent for a smartwatch that can
take a small sample of your blood without the use of
needles, and it could help diabetics more easily
monitor their blood glucose levels throughout the
day.
Currently, diabetics need to perform a finger prick
and use a blood glucose meter multiple times a day
to make sure their insulin levels are under control.
But based on the limited information we have so far,
Google's new smartwatch-like device looks poised to
replace that system with something less painful and
more automatic.
Given that the invention is still in the patent phase,
Google is remaining tight-lipped about exactly how
the device works, what it might be used for, or even
when or if it'll get made. But it has provided a little bit
of insight into the process.
The patent application reveals that the device first
sends an 'abrupt surge' of gas into a barrel
containing a microparticle, which then punctures the
skin to produce a small drop of blood.
This droplet is then sucked into a negative pressure
barrel, where it can be used for further testing. "Such
an application might be used to draw a small amount
of blood, for example, for a glucose test," Google
writes in the application.
From the diagrams released with the patent, it looks
like the device is a little tube that's stored in the
chunky watch-like device you can see above (hello,
'80s design) and is then removed and used when the
patient's blood needs to be taken.
Google
Although diabetics aren't specifically mentioned in
the patent, it doesn't take a tech expert to read
between the lines and get an idea of the intended
target market. And it's also not the first time that
Google has actively targeted diabetics with its
inventions.
Just last year, a research team at Google Life
Sciences announced that it was developing 'smart'
contact lenses that will be able to monitor blood
glucose levels, and another group is working on
disposable, bandage-sized glucose monitors.
It's a pretty sensible business move for the company,
with one in three US adults projected to have
diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue,
according to the US Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Of course, just because Google has patented an idea,
doesn't mean anything is going to come of it anytime
soon. The tech company told The Verge:
"We hold patents on a variety of ideas – some of
those ideas later mature into real products or
services, some don't. Prospective product
announcements should not necessarily be
inferred from our patents."
But we can't help but hope this device makes it to
market, because a faster and more painless way to
monitor blood levels would make a whole lot of
peoples' lives easier.

Well nt much fan of d End Tym crew bt wit dis i can boldly say end time watch

Cc: lalasticlala , Seun , Ishilove, dominique

Soon the Religious crew would condemn this as an End time tool for 666.