Google Introduces Contact Lens That Measures Glucose Level
After unveiling a revolutionary wearable tech like Google Glass, the company has now introduceda ‘smart contact lens’. The tech giant is testing the lens with aim to help diabetic people measure their glucose level. Google said that the lenses contain a ‘tiny wireless chip’ and sensors that measure the glucose level in tears to calculate blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Google has not only developed the prototypes of these smart contact lenses, but also done multiple clinical research studies, met with the US Food and Drug Administration, and is looking for potential partners to bring the product to market. “We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds”, the project leaders wrote in a blog post.
The project’s co-founders Brian Otis and Babak Parviz hopes the lenses can help diabetics regulate their blood sugar levels more effectively and avoid having to test their blood with finger pricks throughout the day. Google’s smart contact lenses come equipped with miniaturized electronics embedded into them and an antenna that’s described as being ‘thinner than a human hair’.
Google said it was working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bring the product to mainstream use. It added that it would look for partners “who are experts in bringing products like this to market”.
“It’s still early days for this technology, but we’ve completed multiple clinical research studies which are helping to refine our prototype. We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease“, concluded Google.
