Apple Watch Science Team Working On Inner-Bezel Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring...

There are over 30 million people living with diabetes in the US alone. Of those, some 22 million have been diagnosed, so some eight to nine million do not know they have it. Millions more are living with pre-diabetes -- and millions more of both -- living in the EU, and Japan.

So it should come as no surprise, given Apple's foray into the HealthKit app (our coverage; March 2015), that it would be working on much more sophisticated, hard core med device/diagnostics -- embedded right into the bezel or strap of its flagship watch. And it would target the very high end of the market, of course.

Here is a bit from AppleInsider -- on it all:

. . . .Apple has reportedly hired a team of biomedical engineers to develop noninvasive glucose sensors for integration in Apple Watch, a solution that could lead to continuous monitoring of blood sugar levels for users with diabetes. . . .

As a (long ago) ex-diagnostic device hand, here -- even though Merck is no longer in the hand-held diagnostic apps/devices space proper, I'll conjecture that this news is likely to send a minor shockwave through the device giants out there.

True enough, a robustly functional bezel-skin-sensor of this sort is no small feat of miniature engineering, but with Apple's hoard of cash -- and deep bench of available talent -- I'd predict they'll get it. . . solved.

If your Apple Watch can feed you (or your doc) a continuous data set, of blood sugar levels, and alert you to a need for insulin, in near real time -- all carried on the back of your usual time-piece and personal assistant. . . at least the high end of those 31 million people may well be. . . lost to the old line med device/diagnostic marketeers. Word.

Cold, windy, gray and rain-soaked here, this morning. Ugh. But onward, just the same.

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