Google always finds a way to surprise us with its innovative technologies and products in which the company is investing substantial financial resources. The Google Glass, the smartphones Ara and Tango, the Google Self-Driving cars and the new generation robots are just some of its ambitious projects.
Last week, Google officially announced its plans to collaborate with Novartis in the creation of smart contact lenses. The company will collaborate with engineers from the Alcon division of Novartis, in order to accelerate the market penetration.
The new futuristic lenses can constantly monitor the blood sugar levels in our body by measuring the glucose in the tears. According to official information, the final product will contain non-invasive sensors, microchips and “other” new generation electronic components.
These unique lenses will be able to work accurately in any situation and will analyse in real time our blood sugar. The targets of this product are mainly people with diabetes, but both companies believe that they will be helpful to people with vision problems. People with diabetes need to monitor their glucose levels regularly and the majority of them do so by testing drops of blood. However, the consumer demand for innovative ways of doing this is likely to grow as the number of people suffering from diabetes continues to increase (one in ten people across the world is forecast to have diabetes by 2035).
The collaboration of Google and Novartis aims to “use the latest technology in the miniaturisation of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people” and Google’s smart contact lenses are just their first common step in this direction.
Viktoriya DZHELEPOVA
Etudiante en Master 2 Droit de l’économie numérique
