Future smart wearables could treat diabetes

Scientists from South Korea and the US have created a wearable device that can monitor blood glucose and administer treatment. The results were published in Nature and reported by Digital Trends. The technology is in the form of transparent cuffs made of "graphene doped with gold and combined with a gold mesh." It uses pH sensors and microneedles that, when thermally activated, can deliver the drug to start the production of insulin.

The combination of graphene and gold was found to be an effective means to detect electrochemical changes in the body. The time it takes for sweat to reflect the change in blood glucose, though, results in a 15 to 20-minute lag.

Unfortunately, this technology is not yet ready to be put into a wristband and on retail shelves. A pharmacology researcher told Digital Trends that the present design makes it "extremely unlikely that the daily adult dose of metformin can be delivered without an unfeasibly large number of microneedles and/or an unacceptably large patch." The patch was successfully tested on diabetic mice in trials. The difference in scale could make it difficult to adapt the technology for humans.

Even so, since the emergence of wearables, the technology behind the devices has presented new opportunities for the health care market. Fitness wristbands are popular for monitoring things such as steps and heart rate. Some devices are made specifically with the elderly in mind. One example is a smart watch that monitors blood pressure, glucose and heart rate. Another wearable serves as a GPS tracker for those with Alzheimer's. Others have made devices that can detect if a person has fallen and needs medical attention. It seems the health care industry still has a lot to gain from wearables as the market continues to expand and technology advances.