Google unveils 'smart contact
lens' to measure glucose levels 17 January 2014 Last updated at 03:47 Google has said it is testing a "smart contact
lens" that can help measure glucose levels in
tears. It uses a "tiny" wireless chip and a "miniaturised"
glucose sensor embedded between two layers of
lens material. The firm said it is also working on integrating tiny
LED lights that could light up to indicate that
glucose levels have crossed certain thresholds. But it added that "a lot more work" needed to be
done to get the technology ready for everyday use. "It's still early days for this technology, but we've
completed multiple clinical research studies which
are helping to refine our prototype," the firm said in a blogpost. "We hope this could someday lead to a new way for
people with diabetes to manage their disease." 'Exciting development' Many global firms have been looking to expand in
the wearable technology sector - seen by many as a
key growth area in the coming years. Various estimates have said the sector is expected
to grow by between $10bn and $50bn (£6bn and
£31bn) in the next five years. Within the sector, many firms have been looking
specifically at technology targeted at healthcare. Google's latest foray with the smart contact lens is
aimed at a sector where consumer demand for such
devices is expected to grow. According to the International Diabetes Federation, one in ten people across the world's population are forecast to have diabetes by 2035. People suffering from the condition need to monitor
their glucose levels regularly as sudden spikes or
drops are dangerous. At present, the majority of
them do so by testing drops of blood. Google said it was testing a prototype of the lens
that could "generate a reading once per second". "This is an exciting development for preventive
healthcare industry," Manoj Menon, managing
director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan told the
BBC. "It is likely to spur a range of other innovations
towards miniaturizing technology and using it in
wearable devices to help people monitor their bodies
better." Open innovation? 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". Google said it would work with these partners to
develops apps aimed at making the measurements
taken by the lens available to the wearer and their
doctor. Mr Menon said it was "commendable" that Google
was willing to work with other partners even before
the product was commercially ready. Sensible Baby showcased a prototype baby sleep
monitoring system at this year's CES "Their open innovation approach is going to help
accelerate the development of this product and get
it out to the market much faster," he said. Other firms have also been looking towards
wearable products that help monitor the health of the
wearer. Earlier this month, a gadget called Sensible Baby
was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) in Las Vegas. It is a sensor put in an infant's
night clothes that tracks their temperature,
orientation and movement. It sounds a smartphone app alarm if it detects a
problem. Several smartwatches that can monitor data by
studying key indicators such as the the wearer's
heart rate and temperature have also been
launched. Last year, Japanese firm Sony filed a patent for a
'SmartWig', with healthcare cited as one of its
potential uses. It said the wig could use a combination of sensors
to help collect information such as temperature,
pulse and blood pressure of the wearer.