Google has announced it is testing a smart contact lens that measures glucose levels of people with diabetes or at risk of getting one.
The Google smart contact lenses are armed with a tiny wireless chip and a “miniaturized” glucose sensor placed between two layers of lens material. It measures the glucose levels found in the wearer’s tears. The company plans on adding tiny LED lights to indicate whether the wearer’s glucose levels have reached thresholds.
Do not expect this product to be available soon, as Google says “a lot more work” is needed to be accomplished to make the technology safe and ready for consumers.
“We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease,” Google says in its blog post.
The Google smart contact lenses are a reflection of how consumer demand for such devices is expected to grow. A report from the International Diabetes Federation says that one in ten people in the world are likely to have diabetes by 2035.
People with diabetes need to monitor their glucose levels regularly because sudden spikes and drops are dangerous. This is currently measured through blood tests, even on children. Google claims their prototype of the lens can “generate a reading once per second” and is working with the US Food and Drug Administration to bring their smart contact lenses to mainstream use.