In a patent Google filed Thursday for a “needle-free” blood drawing system, smartwatches and other handheld devices may be designed with the capability of drawing blood in a process that aims to make blood collection easier for people who hate needles. It is expected to work by sending a burst of gas into a container with a “micro-particle” that punctures the skin. When blood protrudes from the puncture wound, the negative pressure in the barrel will suck the blood into the container for analysis.
Image Source: USPTO
According to Google, one of the practical uses for such a device is glucose testing for those who have diabetes. Once the device is created, it could replace glucose testers for diabetics entirely.
It is unclear what Google intends on doing with the patent. In a statement to The Verge, Google said that while they patent a “variety of ideas”, some come into fruition and others do not.
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.
Therefore it is safe to say right now that there is no indication Google will implement the blood drawing process into a smartwatch, or any other device, any time soon.
Many of the larger tech companies have been moving into the health industry as the demand for apps that track heart rates and exercise activities increases. Last year, Google made their debut on the health app market with Google Fit in an attempt to compete with Apple’s HealthKit app, which collects information like blood pressure, pulse and temperature. Both apps are useful in monitoring calorie intake and burns, for those trying to lose weight.
