Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) may be developing glucose monitoring capabilities for the next-generation version of its Apple Watch, according to a new BGR report which cites sources close to the company.
The report claims that the company is working to implement the ability to monitor glucose with the Watch, possibly through the use of new interchangeable smart bands which could also add other new health functionalities to the device.
“According to our source, Apple’s sights are now set on the epidemic of diabetes, and the company plans to introduce a game-changing glucose monitoring feature in an upcoming Apple Watch,” BGR wrote in its report.
Apple has reportedly hired on approximately 200 individuals with PhDs as it looks to improve and innovate the health capabilities of the Apple Watch, according to BGR.
In April, CNBC reported that Apple had hired a team of biomedical engineers to work at a separate office in Palo Alto, Calif. The report claims that the team is “part of a super secret initiative, initially envisioned by the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, to develop sensors that can non invasively and continuously monitor blood sugar levels to better treat diabetes.”
The company was far enough along to be performing feasibility trials at clinical sites in California’s Bay Area, with consultants on hand to help navigate regulatory pathways, according to the CNBC report.
One source claimed that Apple was developing the ability to measure glucose through optical sensors, involving shining a light through the skin, according to CNBC.
