Apple iWatch Release Date: Wearable Gadget Expected To Be Unveiled 2014 May Not Include Glucose Sensing As Feature, ‘Healthbook’ App May Still Be Available In Device & iOS8

Apple iWatch release date: A wearable gadget by the Cupertino tech giant expected to be unveiled sometime this year may not have a glucose sensing feature, according to a report by MacRumors. The device though may still have a “Healthbook” app, which reports have suggested will also be present in the upcoming iOS 8.

Network World has noted that the glucose sensing technology is too early in development to be incorporated into a mainstream consumer device like an iWatch.

According to MacRumors, Heisler points to C8 Mediasensors and its non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, the HG1-C, as an example of how this technology is still in its infancy. The device is a relevant references since Apple has hired several research scientists and engineers from the now defunct company and is assumed to be using their expertise to bring CGM to the Apple iWatch.

The HG1-C device relies on Raman spectroscopy to indirectly measure a person’s blood glucose level, MacRumors noted. The gadget’s technique shines light through skin in order to excite blood glucose molecules and cause them to vibrate. The optic sensor then analyzes the amount of light reflected off these vibrating molecules and returns a reading that is used to calculate an approximate glucose level for an individual.

The device is very innovative, but the technology itself has some flaws that make it impractical for a wrist-worn gadget. The sensor unit is attached to a belt that was worn around the waist and requires a large battery pack to operate. The HG1-C also needed a gel to accurately measure light levels, which were influenced by ambient sunlight. MacRumors reported that the sunlight sensitivity was highlighted by former C8 employee Charles Martin, he tells Network World:

“Yes, the camera sensor had to be shrouded in darkness to function. You have to understand that Raman Spectroscopy is looking for a very faint signal emitted by the glucose molecules. A rough analogy: try to pick out someone's voice in a noisy room. The sunlight was this kind of noise that the camera sensor was not calibrated against. They did try to implement algorithms to discount measurements against sunlight anomalies, but some of the anomaly criteria these algorithms were supposed to detect, overlapped. This made things hard to verify and test on the device.”

Apple can pursue the technology and still possibly apply it to the iWatch. But the process to transform the technology to the point where it is reliable enough to be used as a diagnostic or monitoring device

Instead of measuring glucose levels, the upcoming Apple wearable may allow users to monitor glucose levels by importing them from a glucose monitoring device or by manually entering them into the accompanying Healthbook app, reported to arrive on the iOS 8 and also made available for the iWatch. The rumored Healthbook app is said to used a card-based interface to track vital health statistics such as heart rate, weight, and step count.