According to media reports, Apple and Samsung are planning to equip their next smartwatch models with a blood sugar measurement function.
Apple and Samsung could soon make the process of measuring blood sugar much easier for diabetics. Pricking your finger to determine the blood sugar level with a drop of blood could be a thing of the past in the future. According to media reports, several providers – including the two tech companies – are working on non-invasive measurement methods for upcoming smartwatch models.
Samsung: Blood sugar measurement may already be available in the next model series
Samsung would like to introduce the new measurement method this year at the presentation of its Galaxy Watch 4 model series, as the South Korean website “ET News” reports. This is expected to appear in the second half of 2021. It is also possible to integrate the measurement method into the Galaxy Watch Active 3.
Samsung carried out its research on blood sugar measurement technology with a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This is what is known as Raman spectroscopy, which can determine the blood sugar level using an optical sensor.
Apple product also in the starting blocks
Apple should also publish new products with a similar technology in the second half of 2021. The Californian technology group has already secured a patent and is now testing the method extensively.
Blood glucose testing: regulatory approval for Apple and Samsung pending
It remains to be seen how effective the method for measuring blood sugar via smartwatch will actually be and how it will perform in comparison to the previously common method. In addition, approval from the relevant authorities is still pending.
Other manufacturers are also working on comparable models
Apple and Samsung are not the only manufacturers who want to publish such a feature – as reported by “t3n”, the South Korean company Philosys Healthcare and the Japanese start-up company Quantum Operation are also working on a blood sugar measurement option on smartwatches. “Efforts to apply the technology for measuring blood sugar levels to mobile and wearable devices, including smartwatches, have been going on for many years,” quoted “ET News” as quoting an expert who sees it as the starting signal for a new form of health services. “The technology will be a catalyst for the emergence of various health services and the expansion of the global health market.”
