On Tuesday, Google announced that it will be partnering with European pharmaceutical company Novartis to create a contact lens that will have the capabilities to monitor the wearer’s blood sugar levels. The Smart Contact Lens brings Google in line with Apple and Samsung as it enters the healthcare market.
The cost of the partnership has not yet been revealed, although the partnership is currently limited to Novartis’ eye care unit, called Alcon . Alcon will use Google’s existing smart contact lens prototype to create the device which will monitor the wearer’s blood sugar levels and transmit that data via a radio antennae that is thinner than a human hair. The smart contact lens would be especially beneficial to diabetics, allowing real time monitoring rather than limiting results to only when the diabetic chooses to test. The Google Smart Contact Lens would also limit painful pokes in the finger or stomach from drawing blood samples.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin is excited about the opportunity to assist the medical industry:
“Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people. We are very excited to work with Novartis to make this dream come true.”
Novartis’ CEO, Joseph Jimenez, is also excited about the partnership, and sees the Smart Contact Lens as only the beginning.
“This is a key step for us to go beyond the confines of traditional disease management, starting with the eye,”
Jimenez also hinted about another use for the smart contact lens that would benefit wearers of glasses. The smart contact lens would work much like the auto focus of the wearer’s camera and self adjust as a person looks at objects from various distances. However, he noted that the focusing smart lens is still quite early in development and has a long way to go before it begins official testing.
The medical and technological industries, such as Novartis and Google, are setting up for new areas of expansion within each industry. As medical devices and monitors become blurred with everyday use items, such as contact lenses, cellular phones, watches, televisions, and computers, the blend of technologies just makes sense. Starting with a blood sugar detecting smart contact lens puts both Google and Novartis in a fantastic position to move forward with new technologies that will benefit health and well-being in those that might currently struggle. The increased monitoring and steadied control of ailments be an incredible tool of the future.
Photo Courtesy: CNN.Com
