The idea that technology can help people monitor their health and even treat it, has been around for decades. Blood pressure testing devices sold over the counter are used by millions daily, but only recently have digital systems tied to a compression cuff been on the market. Last year, Omron introduced their Blood Pressure watch, the first of its kind in a wearable called the Heart Guide. I also saw a couple of similar products at CES in the form of wearable blood pressure wrist bands.

We have had blood glucose test kits to get blood sugar readings using pinpricks and testing strips for years but now have digital readouts and some that can be used with an iPhone or Android phone like the one from Dario. We even have digital thermometers and digital scales that can determine your body mass index.

The newest class of health monitoring devices is coming out in wearable form and these were the ones I was most interested in while at CES.

I am already familiar with health monitoring on wearables since the Dexcom Continuous Blood Glucose monitor I wear lets me get my blood sugar reading on my Apple Watch. At any given time I can glance at my Apple Watch and I know exactly what my blood sugar readings are. I also monitor heart rate on this watch and I use the ECG feature on the Apple Watch model 5 to get an accurate read of heart rate fluctuations and monitor for any signs of AFib, (atrial fibrillation).

Some of the newer smartwatches or dedicated wearables have matched what Apple does in the way of ECG and beats per minute, but the folks from Withing added another new health monitoring feature that looks for signs of Sleep Apnea. Their new Scan Watch uses an advanced sleep tracking system to monitor for sleep apnea. Twenty-two million Americans have sleep apnea, according to sleepapenea.org and finding out that one has this health issue is critical to their health and longevity.

According to Market Research Engine, the digital health monitoring market is projected to grow to $245.5 billion by 2024, and that will be driven by a lot of new advances in health monitoring devices that are wearable.

There is still one holy grail in blood sugar self-monitoring that alludes the scientific community so far and that is finding a way to determine blood glucose levels that are completely non-invasive delivered via some type of wearable. While the Dexcom sensor I wear is considered non-invasive, it uses extremely tiny sensor “needles” that are implanted into the skin to reach the interstitial fluid that is between the skin and muscle.

Continuous Glucose Monitors tap into that fluid and can determine one’s glucose levels. The other way that medical scientists are trying to get glucose readings delivered in a wearable is through some form of ultraviolet light or pulsing light waves implemented in a wrist wearable.

My sources tell me that Apple is very interested in this type of approach for reading blood glucose levels, using some form of light waves delivered through the back of an Apple Watch.

One product I saw at CES was from ADD Care LTD, based in Hong Kong, called the Glutrac. They claim that they use sensors to read blood glucose levels. The person I talked to said it uses some type of light waves but I could never confirm how these sensors work. That said, the demo I got, which was completely non-invasive, was very impressive. If it is true that they have come up with a way to use lightwave sensors to read blood sugars, this would be considered a breakthrough in non-invasive means to get blood sugar readings.