Google is best known for software products such as Search, Gmail, and Maps. But the company’s top-secret research and development team, Google X, has been laser-focused on incubating unique “moonshot” ideas and products that can only be imagined in a sci-fi movie. Its dedication to developing products that interact with the physical world has spawned an innovation that has the potential to revolutionize the way 30 million American diabetes patients manage their lifelong disease: a smart contact lens.
Most of us are unaware of the daily stresses that come with diabetes, from monitoring glucose levels through painful finger pricks to insulin shots to managing exercise and food consumption. It’s an emotionally and physically daunting process for anyone to go through yet not the easiest health care problem to solve. But Google X’s cohort of inventors and deep financial pockets positioned the team well to tackle this problem head-on.
“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 is declaring that the world is ‘losing the battle’ against diabetes, we thought this project was worth a shot,” Google stated in its announcement.
To make the lenses work the team layered a small glucose sensor and a wireless chip in between two soft contacts. The sensor monitors the patient’s tears; if glucose levels drop or are too high, tiny lights turn on to automatically communicate to the patient that he or she has fallen into the danger zone and needs to take action to stabilize his or her glucose level. If this invention works, it has the ability to wipe out the daunting and life-intruding process of checking glucose levels at certain times of the day.
So why aren’t these contact lenses in health care providers’ offices or on store shelves yet? Although the Google X team is research and development royalty, it isn’t a manufacturer. Similar to Google X products such as Google Glass and self-driving cars, these buzz-worthy devices make for great water cooler conversation, but because of cost and accessibility, few can actually own them.
That said, these smart contact lenses might be on the fast track to getting in the public’s hands. Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis recently announced that it will be collaborating with Google X to develop the lenses through a licensing deal. “Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people,” Google cofounder Sergey Brin said in a press release.
It’s a big win for Google and diabetics, as they are now one step closer to easier glucose level monitoring.
The partnering companies aren’t stopping at diabetes management. They will also focus on using the technology of embedded microchips and sensors in contacts as a vision correction product that can help restore the eye’s natural autofocus.
Original post found at: http://news.yahoo.com/goodbye-finger-pricking-google-making-life-lot-easier-222958322.htmlP.S. I will wager that many of big Pharmas will jump of this and develop their own devices now that Google has taken a major step to help diabetics. Pharmaceutical companies had the resources to come up with these devises but will lose money if companies like Google take the leadership role in bringing such inventions to the general public.
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