Google files patent for device to draw blood without needles

Google has filed a patent for needle-free device that would draw blood from a user's skin.

Any wearable such as a smartwatch could be fitted with the device and could be used directly to take a sample of blood from fingertips or any other part of the body.

The blood sample would then be analysed and the data would be used by Google for health-related purposes. For instance, with a wearable smartwatch Google might offer real-time blood glucose monitoring, which would be of great help to diabetics.

According to the patent application, the system worked by sending a surge of gas into a barrel containing a micro-particle that pierces the skin. Once blood was released from the skin, it finds its way into the negative pressure barrel.

The technology would obviate the need for patients to have needles stuck into them for blood tests in future. Though the use of the device remained unclear, the device could be of immense help for people who need to monitor their vitals and blood data in real time.

The presence of a patent was, however, no guarantee of an actual product. "We hold patents on a variety of ideas - some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents", a Google spokesperson told The Verge.

A number of handsets in the current pool of Android Wear smartwatches and other fitness trackers offered the ability to monitor heart rate and also featured sensors for fitness tracking. However, the ability of "needle-free blood draw" could significantly add to the usability of the gadget.

According to commentators, the patent fitted neatly with a recent report citing the former Head of Life Sciences at Google, Andy Conrad (now the head of the newly-formed Life Sciences company at Alphabet), saying Google was working on a medical-grade wristband.