People
with
diabetes
could
be
able
to
monitor
their
blood
sugar
without
drawing
blood
using
a
system
now
being
developed
at
the
University
of
Waterloo.
In
a
recent
study,
researchers
combined
radar
and
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
technologies
to
detect
changes
in
glucose
levels
without
the
need
for
painful
finger
pricks
several
times
a
day.
“We
want
to
sense
blood
inside
the
body
without
actually
having
to
sample
any
fluid,”
said
George
Shaker,
an
engineering
professor
who
leads
a
large
team
working
on
the
concept.
"Our
hope
is
this
can
be
realized
as
a
smartwatch
to
monitor
glucose
continuously."
The
research
involves
collaboration
with
Google
and
German
hardware
company
Infineon,
which
jointly
developed
a
small
radar
device
and
sought
input
from
select
teams
around
the
world
on
potential
applications.
The
system
at
Waterloo
uses
the
radar
device
to
send
high-frequency
radio
waves
into
liquids
containing
various
levels
of
glucose
and
receive
radio
waves
that
are
reflected
back
to
it.
Information
on
the
reflected
waves
is
then
converted
into
digital
data
for
analysis
by
machine-learning
AI
algorithms
developed
by
the
researchers.
The
software
is
capable
of
detecting
glucose
changes
based
on
more
than
500
wave
features
or
characteristics,
including
how
long
it
takes
for
them
to
bounce
back
to
the
device.
Initial
tests
with
volunteers
at
the
Research
Institute
for
Aging
in
Waterloo
achieved
results
that
were
85
per
cent
as
accurate
as
traditional,
invasive
blood
analysis.
"The
correlation
was
actually
amazing,"
said
Shaker.
"We
have
shown
it
is
possible
to
use
radar
to
look
into
the
blood
to
detect
changes."
Next
steps
include
refining
the
system
to
precisely
quantify
glucose
levels
and
obtain
results
through
the
skin,
which
complicates
the
process.
Researchers
are
also
working
with
Infineon
to
shrink
the
radar
device
so
that
it
is
both
low-cost
and
low-power.
The
data
analyzed
by
AI
algorithms
is
now
sent
wirelessly
to
computers,
but
the
ultimate
aim
is
self-contained
technology
similar
to
the
smartwatches
that
monitor
heart
rate.
“I’m
hoping
we’ll
see
a
wearable
device
on
the
market
within
the
next
five
years,”
said
Shaker.
“There
are
challenges,
but
the
research
has
been
going
at
a
really
good
rate.”
Collaborators
at
Waterloo
include
engineering
professor
Safieddin
(Ali)
Safavi-Naeni,
kinesiology
professor
Richard
Hughson
and
numerous
students.
A
study
on
the
research, Non-invasive
monitoring
of
glucose
level
changes
utilizing
a
mm-wave
radar
system,
was
published
this
month
in
the
International
Journal
of
Mobile
Human-Computer
Interaction.
Thursday, June 28, 2018