Apple has a proof-of-concept of a blood sugar meter that works without a needle and blood draw. The company has been working on the project for years and it seems it will be years before a product with the feature can reach the market.
The project is now called E5, Bloomberg writes . The technique used is optical absorption spectroscopy, according to the news agency. In addition, sensors measure the reflected light of lasers, which hit substances leaking from capillaries under the skin. Because glucose can absorb these substances, an algorithm can determine the blood sugar level based on that measurement.
Hundreds of engineers are involved in the initiative, Bloomberg claims. They are in a division called Exploratory Design Group. The proof-of-concept is currently the size of an iPhone, but the meter should become smaller in the coming years to integrate into the Apple Watch, for example.
The initiative is not new . Apple has been working for more than a dozen years on a way to measure blood sugar without drawing blood. It is unknown when the company thinks it will have the technology ready. Apple declined to comment on the story.
