Apple Apple Watch blood glucose monitoring: 15 years of research and development, how long will it take to become popular?

With the advancement of technology, health monitoring has become an important part of our daily lives. In recent years, Apple's research in the field of health has also attracted much attention, especially the blood glucose monitoring feature of its Apple Watch. According to reports, Apple has been investing more than 15 years of research and development work on developing non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology for the Apple Watch, however, this feature is still "many years away" from launch. This topic has attracted a lot of attention, so let's dive into it.

First, we need to understand what non-invasive blood glucose monitoring is. Unlike traditional blood tests, this type of monitoring does not require the patient's finger to be pricked, but is monitored in real time through sensors. Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology not only avoids the pain of finger pricking, but also can be monitored at any time, and can even generate a full-day curve, so that diabetics can further grasp their personal physical condition. At the same time, it also provides them with the possibility to prevent their condition from worsening and help them manage their personal habits more easily.

At the technical level, Apple has developed a silicon photonic chip for this purpose. The chip is able to collect the optical absorption spectrum that is transmitted back after the laser is irradiated to the skin to determine the concentration of glucose in the body. It is a rather complex process that requires precise control of various factors such as the intensity of the laser, the duration of the exposure, the thickness of the skin, and the humidity. This is one of the challenges faced by Apple's R&D team.

However, despite the progress Apple has made in the development process, it will still take time for this feature to become widespread. This is mainly due to the fact that the current mainstream blood glucose monitoring uses electrochemical methods to accurately monitor the glucose content in human blood through blood collection, so as to meet the needs of medical-level blood glucose detection. Although Apple's non-invasive method uses physical methods, the detection accuracy still needs to be improved, and it cannot meet the needs of accurate monitoring of blood glucose patients. This may be the reason why Apple has repeatedly delayed the rollout of this feature.

Still, we can't deny Apple's research potential in the field of health. Apple's non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology, if further refined, could have a significant impact on blood glucose self-testing in the general population. After all, for diabetic patients, being able to accurately monitor their blood sugar anytime, anywhere will undoubtedly greatly improve their quality of life.

In addition, we should also see that the launch of health technology products is not only a technical issue, but also involves many aspects such as regulations, ethics, and user education. For Apple, they have to take into account not only technical difficulties, but also how to integrate with the existing healthcare system, how to obtain relevant regulatory approvals, and how to convey accurate and comprehensive information to users.

Overall, Apple has been investing in the research and development of non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology for the Apple Watch for many years, and while it is still some time away from becoming popular, that doesn't mean the technology is not promising. With the continuous advancement of technology and the improvement of relevant regulations, we have reason to expect more innovations and breakthroughs in this field.

In this process, we, as consumers, also need to remain rational and expectant. On the one hand, we need to give tech companies enough time and space to develop this technology; On the other hand, we also need to recognize that any new health tech product needs to go through rigorous clinical trials and regulatory scrutiny before it can be truly used in the clinic and serve the public. In this process, we need to maintain an open and inclusive mind, actively follow the progress in this area, and contribute to our health.