Almost everyone has heard of Google Glass, a smart eyewear allowing an individual to access photos, videos, messages, and apps in the moment. As well as Google’s self-driving car. Now Google X announced earlier this year that they have created a functional prototype that can be beneficial for diabetics.
How this Innovative Prototype is Aiming to Help Diabetics?
The purpose of the contact lens is to continuously monitor glucose levels via a diabetics tears allowing for easier management of the disease. The contact lens uses tiny wireless chips and glucose sensors placed between two layers of the contact lens. A tiny pinhole within the contact will allow for tears to interact with the glucose sensors to measure blood sugar levels once every second. This ingenious prototype will be less disruptive and painful- providing an alternative solution to do away with traditional finger pricking.
The technological advances of the prototype created by Google X are looking into ways to take the contact lens one step further. The possibility of adding LED’s within the contact lens are being discussed to serve as an early warning. The lights would light up to indicate if glucose levels went over or under certain thresholds.
The project is still in its early stages, however it may become accessible to those in need within the next 5 years. Google has found a partner- Alcon, the eye care unit of Novartis to help bring this technology closer to a diabetic’s health regime. “Alcon and Google have a deep and common passion for innovation,” Alcon division head Jeff George said in a statement. At MAKO Invent our team shares a passion for innovation, and in the words of our President Kevin Mako,
“I am proud of my team at MAKO for consistently combining their imagination and persistence to help see our clients’ ideas come into being”.
The Relation between Google X’s Glasses and Contact Lenses
Wearable technology. This is what Google X’s glasses and contact lenses have in common. It is clothing and accessories that incorporates advanced electronic technologies. Our Vice President of Strategy, James Chalmers recently attended the WEST Conference on October 21st, 2014 to explore the impact of wearable technology and he comments,
“With the accelerated development of smaller and more powerful processors, wearable technology is growing 300-400% percent year over year. At MAKO, we’re committed to being at the forefront of a new market segment at both our Austin and Toronto Innovation Campuses. Recently at the WEST Conference in Toronto (Wearable Entertainment & Sports Toronto) it was highlighted just how prevalent this industry is. The challenge for design firms like ours is to miniaturize a device’s footprint, while reducing costs so that these technologies can find their way into the consumer market.”
MAKO Invent is a full service design firm – helping transform ideas from concept to design, prototype to patents and manufacturing to market. Are you a company looking to design a new product? Or, an individual looking to explore that little “what if” idea at the back of your mind? Contact MAKO to speak with a product expert and let us know how we can help!
About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!
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