What’s the good news?
Google is developing smart contact lenses that measure the glucose levels in diabetics' tears. If successful, Google's newest venture could help to eliminate one of the most painful and intrusive daily routines of diabetics.
When did this all start?
On 16 January 2014 Google announced that, for the past 18 months, they had been working on a contact lens that could help people with diabetes by making it continually check their glucose levels. The project is being carried out by Google X and it is currently being tested using prototypes. Google noted in their official announcement that scientists have long looked into how certain body fluids can help track glucose levels easier, but as tears are hard to collect and study, using them was never really an option. They also mentioned that the project is currently being discussed with the FDA while still noting that there is a lot more work left to do before the product can be released for general usage, which is said to happen in five years at best, and that they are looking for partners who would use the technology for the lens by developing apps that would make the measurements available to the wearers and their respective doctors.
What’s the difficulty in the conventional method of diabetes checkup?
Diabetes is a chronic problem, affecting about one in 19 people across the globe and one in 12 in the United States. People with diabetes have difficulty controlling the level of sugar in their bloodstream, so they need to monitor their glucose levels -- typically by stabbing themselves with small pin pricks, swabbing their blood onto test strips and feeding them into an electronic reader.
Google’s smart solution !!!
Google's smart contacts could potentially make blood sugar monitoring far less invasive.
The prototype contacts are outfitted with tiny wireless chips and glucose sensors, sandwiched between two lenses. They are able to measure blood sugar levels once per second, and Google is working on putting LED lights inside the lenses that would flash when those levels are too low or high.
The electronics in the lens are so small that they appear to be specks of glitter, Google said. The wireless antenna is thinner than a human hair.
Design
The lens consists of a wireless chip and a miniaturized glucose sensor. Both of the sensors are embedded between two soft layers of lens material. Plans to add small LED lights that could warn the wearer by lighting up when the glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds have been mentioned to be under consideration.
The prototypes being tested can generate a reading once per second.
When will be the product ready?
They're still in the testing phase and not yet ready for prime time. Google has run clinical research studies, and the company is in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Has anyone tried this before?
It’s worth noting that other companies, including Microsoft, have previously shown similar lenses. Until now, though, it doesn’t look like there are any smart lenses available in the U.S. yet. You can check more information about this research at Microsoft Research Connections.
Courtesy: Google’s official blog
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