Microwave Glucose Sensor for Bloodless Diabetes Monitoring
From medGadget:
Dr. Randall Jean and his engineering colleagues at Baylor College came up with a noninvasive way to measure blood glucose through the use of non-invasive microwave technology.
The sensor uses electromagnetic waves to measure blood glucose levels in the body. As the energy goes from the sensor through the skin and back to the sensor, the glucose level is measured through the transference of energy.
Jean said the microwave frequency range is wide enough to isolate the effect of sugar in the blood and minimize the characteristics of other things like body fat and bone, which could alter accurate readings. Jean also said using electromagnetic waves is relatively safe because they do not ionize the body’s molecules like x-rays can do.
This could have more applications than just monitoring blood sugar….
As a monitor of glucose levels, this sounds promising. Finger-sticking sucks! I also like the lack of molecular ionization :-).