Qatar University builds needle-free glucose wearable
Device reads heart rate and blood pressure signals, project earns gold medal
#Qatar #R&D - Qatar University has developed GlucoWatch, a wearable device that estimates blood glucose levels without finger pricks or blood samples, using AI to analyse physiological signals. The device, led by Qatar University researcher and inventor Dr Khalid Abualsaud alongside university computer engineering students, estimates glucose readings from heart rate, blood pressure and demographic data, feeding results to a connected mobile app. A US patent application for the technology has been published.
SO WHAT? - Finger pricks are the single biggest reason people with diabetes stop tracking their glucose consistently, which makes non-invasive monitoring one of the most sought-after breakthroughs in medical device research globally. Big med-tech firms have poured years and considerable funding into cracking this problem with limited commercial success so far. A patented, working prototype coming out of a university graduation project, rather than a corporate lab, is the kind of result that gets noticed well beyond Qatar.
KEY POINTS:
Qatar University has developed GlucoWatch, a wearable device that uses AI and physiological signal analysis to estimate blood glucose levels: without finger pricks or blood samples.
A US patent application for the technology has been published under number US20240138776A.
The device analyses heart rate signals, blood pressure readings and selected demographic data, to generate glucose estimates, viewable through a connected mobile application.
The research team was led by Qatar University researcher and inventor Dr Khalid Abualsaud, with contributions from computer engineering students Nora Al Bardini, Mazoon Al Shahwani, Fatima Al Kaabi and Sara Al Muhannadi.
The system is designed to support diabetes management by issuing alerts when glucose levels fall outside medically approved ranges. Meanwhile, the app allows users to share health data with family members or healthcare providers under privacy safeguards.
The project began as a graduation project by computer engineering students before evolving into a specialised research initiative, progressing through prototype design, AI algorithm development, mobile app creation and initial validation testing against reference measurements.
GlucoWatch won a gold medal at the International Invention Fair of the Middle East, held in Kuwait in 2023.
The research team is now expanding its database, improving its AI models and developing an advanced version of the wearable device, alongside pursuing partnerships with healthcare and industrial organisations to bring the technology to market at an affordable cost.
The research team aims to complete scientific validation and regulatory steps before introducing the device to patients in Qatar and beyond.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: Qatar News Agency