A report from CNBC says that Apple CEO Tim Cook has been spotted wandering around Apple’s campus with a prototype blood glucose monitor. The device would allow for constant blood sugar monitoring, crucial for diabetics and potentially interesting for healthy individuals as well.
The device was apparently connected to Cook’s Apple Watch, which already provides constant heart-rate monitoring. As this is clearly a prototype, it’s possible that the blood glucose sensor will be built into a future Apple Watch model, rather than being an add-on accessory.
Apple has long toyed with expanding the health benefits of the Apple Watch. With the latest version of watchOS, Apple is focused much more on collecting statistics and data on personal health and using that in the medical industry. In Apple’s vision, your doctor will be able to pull up real-time and historical vitals on any patient remotely, which would be a powerful diagnostic tool.
CNBC also reported last month that Apple has a team working on the “Holy Grail” of constant blood glucose monitoring, so this device would appear to be the fruits of their labor. The research is presumably advanced if prototype devices are already out in the wild. It’s possible we may see more details about the senor at WWDC late this month, although any wide launch will take time, as it will require FDA approval.
