You would be surprised. With a lot of light + the right camera/sensor, you can tell the glucose level based color and flow. Similar to how pulse is now measure with phones.
I cant see this happening in the iWatch, but it is possible otherwise.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Report Claims iWatch Awaiting FDA Approval, Will Feature Blood Glucose and Sweat Sensors
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You would be surprised. With a lot of light + the right camera/sensor, you can tell the glucose level based color and flow. Similar to how pulse is now measure with phones.
I cant see this happening in the iWatch, but it is possible otherwise.
No such technology is nowhere near being ready for a release in 2014.
This isn't child's play like a television set. This is a massive health issue that doesn't allow just playing around. Apple can get away with releasing subpar features eternally stuck in beta like Siri and Maps, but not when people's health are at risk of being damaged due to them.
What this report doesn't say, is the required chip that will be implanted in every iWatch buyer. You know, to monitor all these different fields, yeah, lets go with that, it's for health monitoring.
Tablets never caught on until Apple made one
Smartphones never caught on until Apple made one
MP3 Music Players never caught on until Apple made one.
exactly! i see this and the television industry as two huge opportunities for apple. Samsung makes the DVR that Time Warner forces me to use and it is HORRIBLE!!!!!! I'm waiting to see what Apple does with the new Apple TV (depending I may switch to Tivo).
Measuring Blood Sugar
Actually, there may well be a way to measure blood glucose without drawing blood.
I was reading something few years ago about some doctors developing a way to do it using a light, measuring the sound wave bouncing back.
Perhaps this is it? And if it is... 10% people have diabetes in USA and additional 30% are at risk.
So that is a potential 100+ million treatment/preventative people target market in US alone?
V
Actually, there may well be a way to measure blood glucose without drawing blood.
I was reading something few years ago about some doctors developing a way to do it using a light, measuring the sound wave bouncing back.
Perhaps this is it? And if it is... 10% people have diabetes in USA and additional 30% are at risk.
So that is a potential 100+ million treatment/preventative people target market in US alone?
V
One idea is going around my mind lately: What if this watch was the key to a completely new functionality. Let me explain: Many have been surprised at the lack of NFC capability in the new iPhones, but they do have fingerprint authentication which would work perfectly with NFC. You could use your phone to pay stuff, with home automation you could use it as a key for your front door, and for your car ...
The problems: You don't always have your phone to hand and the fingerprint sensor isn't 100% reliable. But picture this:
If the iWatch has a host of sensors it's quite possible that among the many measurements those can take there are also some that could be put together to form a really reliable biometric identification. Add that to the fact that you normally don't leave your wrist behind. What you have is the perfect biometric key. I would love that.
Apple's foray into home automation and the continuity features could point in a similar direction.
The problems: You don't always have your phone to hand and the fingerprint sensor isn't 100% reliable. But picture this:
If the iWatch has a host of sensors it's quite possible that among the many measurements those can take there are also some that could be put together to form a really reliable biometric identification. Add that to the fact that you normally don't leave your wrist behind. What you have is the perfect biometric key. I would love that.
Apple's foray into home automation and the continuity features could point in a similar direction.
OK OK. I come back to macrumors to see a whole barrage of quote notifications. Knowing that nothing I have ever said is that interesting I opened the first in fear.
All I can say that such a feature would be a battery life issue as far as I'm concerned and is not such a good idea.
Did anyone actually come up with a useful suggestion apart from the very helpful "sweat"?
Yes, because of course those doctors from years ago stopped working on their methodology waiting until they were secretely hired by Apple so then, and only then, they would release the result of their work.
Haven't you heard? The iPhone 6 will cure AIDS too!!!
/sarcasm
Those studies didn't provide accurate results. That's why there is currently no non-invasive way to accurately measure glucose levels. It will be a considerable revolution for the lives of a lot of people around the world when this technology finally arrives, but it won't appear first in a toy, sorry.
I don't think a young teen or adult needs to being worrying about sweat and glucose readings. A device that is primarily focused on health doesn't appeal to as many people as one would like to believe. Hopefully the health aspect is just a small piece of the pie that they are using to get the device approved.
If Apple can convince additional big people that the fitbit, Nike+, and others couldn't convince, then I guess it will serve a purpose. Hopefully people aren't waiting on a health watch from apple to stop ordering large slurpies and eating pizza everyday.
Implanted devices that deliver insulin to diabetic patients making them seem diabetes free are now being tested. This will eliminate the need for any glucose monitoring device such as this. This concept is going to be leapfrogged fairly quickly.
The owner has to go in to have an injection of those nano-robots you have been hearing about lately. These robots have gps, pressure sensors, ph meters, all nano tech of course and transmit the results to your iWatch. This is why blue tooth low energy is so important. So this is not really just a watch, it is an entire ecosystem within your body that is working on giving you accurate health monitoring. This is part of what the new Continuity API does you may have also heard of. These robots will also be able to scour your arteries really clean, preventing strokes
Not sure if I believe it or not, but ....
I'm sure a lot of CEO's of health monitoring equipment companies had heart attacks this morning! If the iWatch is capable of monitoring Blood Glucose non-invasively, They will sell like crazy! Even at $1000. with current monitors, you are paying between .5 an 1 dollars per test. if you have to test 6 times a day, the device would pay for itself with in a year. Now imagine it is connected by bluetooth to you insulin pump! continuous automatic adjustment. Also being able to measure at multiple points during the day without worrying about cost. You would be able to get real-time personal information about how specific foods and activities affect your blood sugar. For the people who really want to develop a healthy lifestyle this would be invaluable.
I'm not sure I beleive the the iWatch will have this capability but I hope so and I will be buy one for my wife and myself on day one if it does regardless of the cost. I'll also say this. if you even think this is true, I would load up on AAPL because it will go through the roof
Just my humble opinion
I'm sure a lot of CEO's of health monitoring equipment companies had heart attacks this morning! If the iWatch is capable of monitoring Blood Glucose non-invasively, They will sell like crazy! Even at $1000. with current monitors, you are paying between .5 an 1 dollars per test. if you have to test 6 times a day, the device would pay for itself with in a year. Now imagine it is connected by bluetooth to you insulin pump! continuous automatic adjustment. Also being able to measure at multiple points during the day without worrying about cost. You would be able to get real-time personal information about how specific foods and activities affect your blood sugar. For the people who really want to develop a healthy lifestyle this would be invaluable.
I'm not sure I beleive the the iWatch will have this capability but I hope so and I will be buy one for my wife and myself on day one if it does regardless of the cost. I'll also say this. if you even think this is true, I would load up on AAPL because it will go through the roof
Just my humble opinion
It all comes down to marketing. Better health = better performance. They do not need to sell it all preachy-like, they can sell it with athlete pitch angle. Same way Powerade sells... Just my thoughts, and I do understand your angle.
I live less than 3 miles from FDA headquarters in Beltsville, MD...it pains me to think that someone is throughly testing an iWatch nearby and I can't get near it.
I guess it's time to go 007...
Just hang around the local bars.
True, but I think most people who monitor their glucose levels have the equipment and test strips covered under their health insurance policies. The question is...IF the iWatch is classified as a medical device, would there be a day when insurance companies cover the cost?
Glucose Monitor Could be Easy
If Apple is developing a non-invasive BG monitor, that would be huge. I doubt they are.
What I think they might do is to team up with Dexcom, who already makes a great CGM system. The iWatch could just interface with the Dexcom sensor.
There are insulin pump companies that are already doing this with Dexcom, like Animas. Instead of using the Dexcom receiver, you can just have the sensor send the readings directly to your pump. iWatch could easily do the same thing. I'd buy it in a heartbeat for sure!
If Apple is developing a non-invasive BG monitor, that would be huge. I doubt they are.
What I think they might do is to team up with Dexcom, who already makes a great CGM system. The iWatch could just interface with the Dexcom sensor.
There are insulin pump companies that are already doing this with Dexcom, like Animas. Instead of using the Dexcom receiver, you can just have the sensor send the readings directly to your pump. iWatch could easily do the same thing. I'd buy it in a heartbeat for sure!
Non-invasive glucose monitoring has been a booming R&D field for quite a few years now. Just in the last two dozens of startups have gotten into based on optical sensing. There may be a chance that Apple has miniaturized one of the contenders. They've scooped up some of the most prominent people in that field for a few years now.