‘Apple has proof-of-concept of blood sugar meter without needle’

Apple has a proof-of-concept of a blood sugar meter that works without a needle and blood collection. The company has been working on the project for years and it appears to be years before a product with the feature can come to market.

The project is now called E5, writes Bloomberg. According to the news agency, the technique used is optical absorption spectroscopy. Sensors measure the reflected light from lasers, which encounter 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, for example, the Apple Watch.

The initiative is not new. Apple has been working for more than twelve years on a way to measure blood sugar without taking blood. It is unknown when the company expects to have the technology ready. Apple declined to comment on the story.

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