Apple looks to be making progress in its long-standing effort to integrate blood glucose monitoring into the Apple Watch, according to Engadget.
No-prick monitoring from the company is currently in the "proof-of-concept stage" and is good enough to potentially enter the market once it is scaled down.
The Company Has Reportedly Made Notable Progress
Apple intends to use the function as a future Apple Watch feature to enable diabetics and others to test their blood glucose levels without having to prick their skin.
It was originally tabletop-sized, but the technology, which utilizes lasers to measure glucose content under the skin, has purportedly improved to the point where an iPhone-sized wearable prototype is in the works.
Apple is developing a silicon photonics chip that employs optical absorption spectroscopy to shine light from a laser under the skin to measure the concentration of glucose in the body to assess glucose levels devoid of blood.
The technology is currently in the "proof-of-concept" stage; however, it still needs to be compressed into a form factor that can be worn.
According to Mac Rumors, the system would ideally warn people who are prediabetic as well as help people with diabetes check their status.
Additionally, when Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes is prevented, they can make the necessary modifications.
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Apple Has Been Trying To Perfect The Technology For Years
Apple previously collaborated with Rockley Photonics to build sensors and chips for glucose monitoring, but TSMC created the prototype's primary chip.
In 2021, Rockley Photonics announced a digital sensor system that it claimed could track a variety of parameters, including body temperature, blood pressure, glucose trends, hydration, alcohol use, lactate levels, and more.
Rockley Photonics made it apparent in regulatory papers that Apple was its major client, but Apple finally discontinued the partnership.
Although Apple's Experimental Design Group (XDG) is working on the project with hundreds of engineers, the technology is still years away from being efficient.
After buying RareLight in 2010, the tech giant began developing an alternate glucose monitoring system at Steve Jobs' direction.
Before the project was transferred to the XDG, Apple worked covertly on it in a secret location for several years using a startup company called Avolante Health LLC.
The XDG is Apple's most top-secret initiative and is comparable to Google's X research and development project.
According to Mac Rumors, the under-skin glucose detection technology has been tested on humans for the previous ten years.
Apple used a test population that included individuals with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and those without a diabetes diagnosis.
When patients are prediabetic, the company aims to be able to notify them, enabling them to make lifestyle adjustments before full-blown diabetes develops.
With that, early discussions are being held by Apple's regulatory team over obtaining regulatory approval for the technology.
As of the moment, the company has invested millions of dollars in the research and development of noninvasive glucose monitoring.
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