A Spanish company patents a revolutionary device that promises to improve the quality of life for diabetics.

eHealth is expected to be one of the most promising sectors in technology. ImasD Tecnología is a Spanish engineering company that seems to have hit the nail on the head within this field: it has patented a technology which saves diabetes patients from having to perform the uncomfortable but until now necessary task of extracting blood in order to monitor their blood sugar levels.

The product is a type of watch that not only monitors glucose levels but also measures blood oxygen and takes a patient’s pulse. The system gently heats a user’s skin in order to almost imperceptibly open pores. A microscopic drop of fluid is released into the pores and then later recovered, thereby capturing the necessary data about the patient.

The technology is similar to that used in the head of a printer. A fluid can be released on to a patient’s skin much in the same way that a printer cartridge applies ink on paper. The fluid in the watch has to be replenished every seven days, assuming four or five measurements are made per day.

The data can be consulted from a smartphone without the need for the patient to do anything. This makes it easy for healthcare professionals to have information about patients even if the patient is elderly and/or has difficulty using a mobile phone.