Google says it’s testing a ‘smart’ contact lens that’s designed to help people with diabetes monitor their glucose levels.
The lens, which is being developed by Brian Otis and Babak Parviz within the next-generation Google X project team, contains a wireless chip and glucose sensor. As a result, it can measure glucose levels in tears as often as once per second.
It’s possible that future versions of this ‘wearable technology’ may include LEDs that could light up to warn wearers when their glucose levels have passed certain thresholds.
Current methods of monitoring glucose usually involve testing blood from a pin-prick every day.
Google says it’s in discussions with the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) but doesn’t plan to launch the product without an experienced partner.
[Google blog]