Google's new pending patent is for a glucose-monitoring device that draws blood without any needles and shots. The new hand-held or Android wearable medical tool could be especially helpful for people with diabetes and other blood sugar-related conditions and diseases. It functions by shooting a gas-powered micro-particle into a person's skin, and then collecting a bit of blood from that point.
The patent filing explains that the device sucks the blood into a tiny tube after the user's skin has been broken, according to Wired. It could be used automatically or manually.
Google's new glucose-checking device might not be practical for complete blood tests. For example, it would be better for people with type 2 diabetes who want a self-administered blood sugar test, according to Ubergizmo.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-funded company Tasso is developing a similar blood sugar monitor. Its blood withdrawal system is needle-free and almost totally painless.
This is not the first time Google has submitted a patent application for medical devices, including one for a wristband health tracker. However, sometimes such ideas do not result in actual products, or are added to ones in the distant future.
Google's Life Sciences organization is part of the umbrella company Alphabet. It has already developed various products to improve diabetics' lives, including a bandage-size glucose monitor and smart contact lenses for blood sugar testing.
The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that 9 percent of adults over 18 years old have diabetes. In addition, this year 1.5 million worldwide deaths have been caused by the deadly disease.