Sharp‘s prototype “Blood Vessel Aging Degree Sensor” can detect diabetes, arteriosclerosis or other diseases at an early stage.

The sensor quantifies the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (protein saccharified in blood vessels known to correlate with blood glucose level). AGEs are thought to cause several diseases including diabetes, dementia, cancers, high blood pressure, and arteriosclerosis. The sensor applies blue-violet light to finger veins and quantifies the accumulation of AGEs in the veins by using the autofluorescence of the AGEs.