Apple Watch for Diabetes: The Latest on Apple’s Plans for Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring

For many years now, it has been rumored that the Apple Watch will eventually gain non-invasive blood sugar monitoring capabilities, which would enable millions of people with diabetes to track their blood glucose levels without needing to prick their skin with a needle or wear a dedicated continuous glucose monitor.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple recently shifted oversight of the project from its platform architecture chief Tim Millet to Zongjian Chen, a senior engineer overseeing advanced technologies within the company.

He framed this change as positive news for the project, which has apparently been in development for more than 15 years.

« Some view the transition as a sign the work may finally be progressing to a point where Chen, known as someone who delivers, can ramp up development of the technology into an eventual consumer-grade offering, » he said.

In 2023, Gurman reported that Apple’s system would rely on a laser that would emit light under the skin to determine a person’s blood glucose level.

« The system uses lasers to emit specific wavelengths of light into an area below the skin where there is interstitial fluid — substances that leak out of capillaries — that can be absorbed by glucose, » he said. « The light is then reflected back to the sensor in a way that indicates the concentration of glucose. »

An algorithm would ultimately determine a person’s blood glucose level, and the feature could also alert users to potential signs of prediabetes.

While the project has new leadership, the Apple Watch is still unlikely to gain non-invasive blood sugar monitoring for several more years, if ever. But if Apple eventually achieves this moonshot, the Apple Watch would provide diabetic people with a more comfortable and convenient solution for keeping track of their blood sugar.

This article, "Apple Watch for Diabetes: The Latest on Apple's Plans for Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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