Novartis to work on Googles diabetes smart contact lenses

[DCUK NewsBot]

Google's smart lens prototype will be developed by Novartis to help people with diabetes monitor their blood glucose or restore the eye's ability to focus. Wearable technology is a key area in healthcare and digital growth. Revealed in January, Google's smart lens is designed to measure the amount of glucose in the user's tears and wirelessly relays the information to a mobile phone or PC. According to Google, the smart lens prototype can "generate a reading once per second" with the chips themselves "so small they look like bits of glitter". Novartis issued a statement, declaring that the smart lens technology had "the potential to transform eye care". Under the agreement, Novartis's Alcon eye care unit will further develop and commercialise the smart lens technologies designed by Google[x], the name for Google's development team. It could be some time before a device such as the smart lens would be ready for general release. Novartis' Chief Executive, Joe Jimenez, reportedly stated that he hoped a product could be on the market in about five years.

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