Soon, an Apple device to monitor blood glucose without need to prick skin

Apple Inc. is close to succeeding in a project that entailsnon-invasive and continuous blood glucose monitoring in the Apple watch. The project, reportedly called E5, will be able to measure how much glucose is there in someone's body without needing to prick the skin for blood in the first place, Bloomberg reported.

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The report, while citing the people familiar with the matter,added that after hitting major milestones recently, Apple now expectsit could eventually bring glucose monitoring to market.

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Apple blood glucose monitoring: What does it mean?

The rollout of one such breakthrough would be a boon to individuals suffering from diabetes. It will also help Apple to strengthen its foothold in the healthcare and wearables market. Typically, peoplerely on a device that pokes the skin for blood.

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At present, there also are patches from a number of brandsthat are inserted into the skin. However, they must be replaced about every two weeks.

About Apple's blood glucose monitoring technology

Apple is reportedly using a chip technology known as silicon photonics and a measurement process called optical absorption spectroscopy. The system uses lasers to emit specific wavelengths of light into an area below the skin where there is interstitial fluid (a liquid that flows outside the veins and capillaries)that can be absorbed by glucose. The light is then reflected back to the sensor in a way that indicates the concentration of glucose. An algorithm then determines the level of a person's blood glucose. It remains unclear if this algorithm was developed in-house or was outsourced by Apple Inc.

Reports say that hundreds of engineers are working on the project. This is part of Apple's Exploratory Design Group or XDG.

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