Google Reveals It's Testing a New Smart Contact Lens [Photo]

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Posted January 17, 2014 at 3:17am by iClarified

Google has announced that it is working on a smart contact lens that's built to measure glucose levels in tears.

The company notes that over the years many scientists have investigated various body fluids, such as tears, in hopes of find a better way to track glucose levels. Google wondered if miniaturized electronics and an antenna thinner than a human hair might be the solution.

We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds. It’s still early days for this technology, but we’ve completed multiple clinical research studies which are helping to refine our prototype. We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease.

Google says it's in discussions with the FDA and that there's still a lot more work to be done. They plan to look for partners to help bring the smart contact lens to market.

"These partners will use our technology for a smart contact lens and develop apps that would make the measurements available to the wearer and their doctor. We’ve always said that we’d seek out projects that seem a bit speculative or strange, and at a time when the International Diabetes Federation (PDF) is declaring that the world is “losing the battle” against diabetes, we thought this project was worth a shot."

More details at the link below...

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Google Reveals It's Testing a New Smart Contact Lens [Photo]

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sidewinder - January 17, 2014 at 11:09pm

I never said I hate anything, let alone everything. I expressed a negative opinion towards things which I feel divide and hurt people. I actually feel a general sense of love towards everyone and want everybody to be happy. I see a "Star Trek Future" as humanities best hope for worldwide happiness. There will always be curmudgeons, we are all that way sometimes, but I truly feel that way and the sooner it comes the better for us all.

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gamerscul9870 - January 18, 2014 at 3:37am

The irony of one talking about it when it happens to them.

Ab08 - January 17, 2014 at 6:44pm

This site has such great news articles, but the comment section and its denizens have the eloquence of an unflushed truck stop toilet bowl fermenting overnight.

Mpayless - January 17, 2014 at 9:03am

I just don't like google. I just don't know why.. Is it just me ? Pff. Contact lens huh, wearable tech, I was thinking it was some kind of tech to make you see like Clark Kent , hhaahaha.. Silly me

wideload - January 18, 2014 at 2:00am

you use their services but you don't like them? why don't you stop using their things and then come say that. you have any idea how many people have diabetes in this nation? google seems to be the only company trying to change the world. common. their are kids and adults out there pricking their fingers 20 times a day out there. I have tried these things several times during my clinicals in medical school. It sucks the first time as much as it sucks 20times. putting on a simple contact lense and recording it by the hour... that's truly what this world needs. Not some company that's saving and holding money in their bank to ensure their survival. Google is risking spending their money to ensure their survival. That's something I can respect.

Raul - January 17, 2014 at 3:35am

Brain drain....tiring out just for the sake of innovating some crap....necessity is the mother of innovation/invention....what purpose does it solve? Monitor glucose 24hrs?...why?...when just a painless prick in your fingertip does the job,why toil your brain to develop such nonsense gadgets?.....grow up google.

Russell - January 17, 2014 at 4:20am

Tech is the future with lots of good high paying jobs.

You Raul are heading for the unemployment line.

skylander - January 17, 2014 at 5:50am

There is already a device that can attached to your body and monitoring the level 24/7. It can allow you to inject the right amount of insulin into your body quickly. But I am not willing to risk my vision for those kind of contact lens.

René - January 17, 2014 at 5:46pm

To me, it seems a perfect innovation! It seems, most persons here don't have diabetes and can't understand, what a development this would be. @Raul Sure, "...just a painless prick in your fingertip does the job...", but if you are doing this for 35 years, every day about 8 to 10 times, then watch your fingertips! There's not much skin left from all the holes in there, it doesn't close as fast as it opens! Another thing, you can't do a monitoring with those single measurements for 24 hours, but your blood sugar does develop during the day and what happens in the night influences the whole day and reverse! I'm struggling for years to have a "...device that can attached to your body and monitoring the level 24/7..." as @Hope2 quotes, but it is still much too expensive, I can't afford it. And, the devices have to be exchanged after 4 or 5 days as far as I know, that makes it sooo expensive! From this point of view, it is a really fantastic invention and I hope it will come to be true for everyone in need of it, maybe it won't be soon enough and I will suffer loss of legs or loss of sight, but I hope it will soon be there and help many, many people! There are several MILLIONS in the US, Europe and other parts of the world! I do have to say that I do have some concerns although it is so brilliant to hear for me. As with everything that Google brings to life, there is the risk that with this there will be data collected, maybe the blood sugar, but even other things like position, what you see, ... So this might lead to a much further data supply for Google, and that's, what I fear. But otherwise, I don't want to stay for years possibly without the ability to walk or see, so what might be the decision in this case for me...? :-)

wideload - January 18, 2014 at 2:04am

That device is worth $1000's of dollars. and our tax dollars pay for most of it. As a medical doctor, this is true innovation. these contacts may cost much less and last much longer since our tears are a great alternative to actual blood for testing blood sugars. those 100k children born with DM type 1 will be thrilled that they no longer have to prick themselves to get these tests results.