Google’s New Patent Draws out Your Blood without Needles

Google has just filed a patent that allows a smartwatch to extract a small amount of blood without using needles. The technology depends on wearables which are very popular today. This project is part of Google's Life Sciences division which is part of Alphabet. It helps develop technology that studies life sciences.

The android-based wearable will shoot a surge of gas-powered microparticles into a barrel that projects them onto the skin. Once the particles hit home, it ruptures a part of the skin to produce a small sample of blood. This droplet of blood is sucked into a tube through negative pressure, allowing it to be further tested for various purposes. The smartwatch is then removed after the blood is extracted. The whole process might be automatic or manual.

"Such an application might be used to draw a small amount of blood, for example, for a glucose test," Google said.

As of now, people with diabetes have to prick their finger with a needle using a blood glucose meter. Usually, the needles are big enough to cause pain to the user. This is very painful and unnerving for an activity that is performed so regularly. Smaller needles cannot be used because they might break or snap in the process. Google’s new tech can be helpful for people suffering from diabetes and blood sugar complexities.

Google has been very interested in the health sector in recent times. They are working on creating contact lens for diabetic patients which analyzes tears. It uses sensors, microchips and other embedded electronics in the lens to monitor insulin balance. They also have a patent for a wristband health trackers used to monitor various health parameters using a wristband. Other projects include a spoon to help people deal with tremors, a disease-detecting nanoparticle platform and a project to collect genetic and molecular information from people to create a picture of a healthy human.

“We hold patents on a variety of ideas – some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents,” Google said.

According to the UN, 9% of all adults have diabetes. Additionally, 1.5 million people die worldwide due to diabetes. Tasso, a company funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), has been developing a similar type of blood-sugar monitor for diabetics. Google has not mentioned any details on the exact method of extraction, nor has it given any specifics on the uses of this tech in the medical industry.