Smart watches have added incredibly sophisticated health features in recent years, with the ability to do electrocardiograms to diagnose atrial fibrillation and monitor blood oxygen levels. But if the rumors are true, the next iteration of Samsung Galaxy Watch 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 plans to launch the feature in the second half of this year with the so-called Galaxy Watch 4, or possibly a Galaxy Watch Active 3. Meanwhile, the publication also claims that Apple is also reportedly preparing to launch the feature on Series 7 and “secured” the necessary patents. In both cases, glucosethe monitoring will supposedly be done using a non-invasive optical sensor.
This is a classic case of “big if true”. That said, that is not out of the question. In 2020, Samsung did join MIT develop a non-invasive method for blood glucosemonitoring using Raman spectroscopy and presented their findings in Science Advances. As for Apple, blood glucose-monitoring rumors have fluctuated 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 was reportedly started by Steve Jobs and, at the time, had progressed to clinical trials in the Bay Area. According MacRumors, at that time, Apple CEO Tim Cook was also seen wearing a potential prototype glucose monitor connected to the Apple Watch.
At CES 2021, a wearable that also stood out was – you guessed it – a non-invasive blood glucosesmartwatch monitoring Japanese Quantum Operation. This prototype was supposed to be able to measure blood glucose in real time using the pulse and also used “patented spectrum detection technology”.
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So while it’s likely that we can see non-invasive glucose,monitoring at some point on the line, it’s also a good idea to be a little skeptical about the weather. This technology would obviously be a blessing for diabetics, who need to prick their skin several times a day to take blood sugar readings. It would be a game changer – but only if it were exceptionally accurate, with a low margin of error and approved by the appropriate regulatory bodies for consumer use. The ETNews report states that Apple is “focusing on ensuring reliability and stability before the technology is commercialized”, but this specific stage can last from several months to several years.
The FDA would have to approve any blood glucose monitoring smartwatch feature, which can be a long process. ANDeven if the ETNews report is 100% true, there is no telling whether FDA approvals would be guaranteed by Samsung or Apple in late summer or fall, when companies have historically launched new smart watches. And if the technology never reaches a reliable degree of accuracy, it may never reach the wrists.
At the moment, it is too early to know whether blood glucosemonitoring will make an appearance on the next generation Samsung and Apple smartwatches. After all, nobody expected FDA-approved ECGs with Series 4. But what if any of the companies managed to do that in 2021? This would be the most massive update for any smartwatch we’ve ever seen.