Smartwatches have added incredibly sophisticated health features in recent years, with the ability to perform electrocardiograms to diagnose atrial fibrillation and monitor blood oxygen levels. But if rumors are to be believed, the next iteration of the Samsung Watch Galaxy and Apple Watch Series 7 could try the holy grail of health tools: non-invasive blood glucose monitoring.
The report comes from ETNews, which claims that Samsung intends to launch the feature in the second half of this year with the so-called Galaxy Watch 4 or possibly with a Galaxy Watch Active 3. Meanwhile, the publication also claims that Apple is also preparing , to introduce the feature on the 7 Series and “secured” the necessary patents. In both cases, glucosemonitoring will be done by means of a non-invasive optical sensor.
This is a classic case of “great if true.” That being said, this is not out of the question. In 2020, Samsung made team up with MIT to develop a non-invasive method for blood glucosemonitoring using Raman spectroscopy and presented their conclusions in Scientific advances. As for Apple, blood sugarmonitoring rumors floated around for a while. In 2017, CNBC reported the company had a “secret group” of biomedical engineers working on a project to develop non-invasive sensors that could monitor blood sugar levels. The initiative is said to have been started by Steve Jobs and has since progressed to clinical trials in the Bay Area. Conformable MacRumorsAt the time, Apple CEO Tim Cook was also spotted carrying a potential prototype glucose monitor connected to Apple Watch.
At CES 2021, a wearable one that stood out and he was – you guessed it – a non-invasive blood glucose-smartwatch monitoring since the Japanese launch of Quantum Operation. This prototype would have been able to measure blood sugar in real time by the wrist and also used “patented spectrum detection technology”.
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So, although it is possible to see non-invasive glucosemonitoring somewhere down, it’s also a good idea to be a little skeptical about the timing. This technology would obviously be a blessing for diabetics, who have to prick their skin several times a day for blood sugar readings. It would be a game changer – but only if it is exceptionally accurate, with a small margin of error and approved by the appropriate regulatory bodies for consumer use. The ETNews report claims that Apple “focuses on ensuring reliability and stability before marketing this technology”, but this special stage could take from a few months to several years.
The FDA should sign any smart watch blood glucose watch feature, which can be a lengthy process. Eif the ETNews report is 100% true, it is unknown whether FDA approvals will be secured by Samsung or Apple until late summer or fall, when companies have historically launched new smart watches. And, if the technology never achieves a reliable degree of accuracy, it may never go to the joints.
At this time, it is too early to make a call if your blood sugarmonitoring will appear on both the latest generation Samsung smartwatches and Apple ones. After all, no one expected FDA-approved ECGs with the 4 series. What if any of the companies managed to pull this off in 2021? This would be the most massive update of any smartwatch I’ve ever seen.