Google develops wrist detector for heart attacks and cancer

Google is at it again, leading the charge to help us diagnose the onset of possible heart attacks, strokes, several types of cancers, and other possible negative health issues by developing a convenient and non-invasive wrist band detector.

The innovative device will utilize nanoparticles which will enter the bloodstream by way of a swallowed pill, interacting with the device that looks very much like a traditional wrist watch. It is still in the early stages.

Early detection has proven to be a significant benefit to successful treatment of these types of diseases. Pancreatic cancer, for example, can usually only be diagnosed well after the disease has progressed to such a stage that it is completely untreatable. Google hopes their wrist detector will help to catch these cancers earlier and save lives by constantly monitoring the blood for signs of cancerous traces long before any physical symptoms actually appear.

The development and research for the new detector is taking place in the Google X Laboratories, specifically dedicated to investigating these types of potentially revolutionary technologies.

And the Google wrist detector is one of the latest attempts to break into the field of medical technology following its recent experiments with glucose-measuring contact lenses for diabetes sufferers and Google’s recent acquisition of a startup company that specializes in manufacturing special spoons for patients suffering from tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease.

If all goes according to plan, the Google induced nanoparticles will hopefully be able to detect the fatty plaques that are about to break free and perhaps cause a heart attack or stroke. Other porous particles would be constructed that would actually change color when higher levels of potassium pass through them in the bloodstream, excess potassium that can lead to kidney disease.

Google’s final objective is to create a wristband that will take readings of these nanoparticles several times a day automatically via light and radio wave frequencies. “Smart lenses”, cancer detecting wristwear, and the coming Android Fit platform are making Google a leader to be reckoned with in the field of medical technology.