Google developing 'smart contact lens' that can measure glucose levels in tears

'Chips and sensors so small they look like bits of glitter'

We all know of Google Glass, but the next frontier for Google is apparently smart contact lenses. Google took to its official blog today to announce a new Google[x] project focused (pardon that pun) on using electronics embedded in contact lenses for medical applications. The technology is simply a tiny wireless chip and sensor wedged between two pieces of normal contact lens material.

The example use case given in the post describes how tough it can be for diabetics to check and manage their glucose levels, and how a smart contact lens could measure glucose through tears once every second and relay that information back to the wearer. Going forward, Google foresees even being able to embed LEDs into these lenses to alert the wearer if a measurement, like glucose, hit a critically low or high level.

True smart contact lenses for the general public are surely a long way off, and for that reason are relegated to a Google[x] project, but we still love to see companies trying anything like this. For now we'll continue our coverage of Google Glass, knowing that the next form factor is already under development.

Source: Google