Smart contact lenses are designed to help diabetics manage their disease.
Just when you thought Google couldn’t get any crazier they introduce a new concept that completely blows your mind. A smart contact lens is an example of science fiction turned fact.
For many diabetics simply managing their diabetes is like having a part-time job. Blood glucose levels change frequently which can mean that monitoring these levels is a round-the-clock job that requires frequent finger pricking. This can be painful and disruptive and as a result may cause people with diabetes to check their blood glucose levels less often.
We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. 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. 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.
While this technology is in very early conceptual stages it gives a glimpse into the future of wearable technology and it’s exciting to think what else this tech could be used for.
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Source: googleblog.blogspot.ca
