Every year the Apple Watch gains a few new sensors. The latest model, for example, is capable of detecting variations in body temperature, a useful piece of information to know the phase of the ovulation cycle or that could give clues about potential health problems. The company’s watches have also long been able to measure pulse rates and perform electrocardiograms, useful tools for detecting atrial fibrillation.
But the next sensor that Apple plans to integrate could have an even bigger impact. According to the Bloomberg publication, citing internal company sources, Apple has managed to take an important step to create a sensor capable of measuring the level of blood sugar without the need to puncture the skin to extract a drop, which is the usual way. today to do it.
The new system uses a photonic chip that can calculate the sugar level by interpreting the refraction of a laser beam that illuminates the capillaries. It is a project that began when Steve Jobs was still alive, but until now had run into several obstacles that were practically impossible to overcome.
The new technique, however, makes it possible to obtain sufficiently precise measurements for the company to consider implementing it in its watch, a step that according to Bloomberg could still take several years but is already underway.
With this sensor, the Apple Watch would become a particularly attractive accessory for diabetics, who now have to prick their fingertip several times a day to draw a drop of blood and thus know their glycemic index.
Although there are patches and implants that allow you to skip this step and have continuous measurements, they are generally expensive and must be replaced with some frequency. The data captured by this sensor, in any case, would also be useful in other applications, such as nutrition or sports.
The new sensor has been developed by the Exploratory Design Group (XDR), a division of the R&D department within Apple that is in charge of investigating highly advanced technologies that do not necessarily have a commercial application in the short term.
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