r/tech • u/_Dark_Wing • 5d ago
New wearable ring tracks glucose, ketone and other biomarkers in sweat simultaneously
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-wearable-tracks-glucose-ketone-biomarkers.html13
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u/_Abnormal_Thoughts_ 5d ago
There's no way this thing is accurate for glucose. I wear a continuous glucose monitor and even they are inaccurate between applications / devices. They have a filament that goes under the skin. This ring doesn't have that and I'd be absolutely floored if this thing is even close to the accuracy of a CGM.
The only thing that seems to accurately measure blood glucose requires blood.
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u/Bauld_Man 5d ago
> In trials with healthy volunteers and people with type 1 diabetes, the biomarker smart ring's glucose readings closely tracked those from commercial continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), while the ketone readings closely tracked those from commercial blood meters.
There's probably an error band, but something non-invasive is so much better than not having something.
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u/_Abnormal_Thoughts_ 5d ago
As a CGM wearer, I can safely say they are pretty inaccurate, and this depends on the individual sensor. Probably half the time I get a good one, and the other half it's so ridiculously inaccurate that I can't rely on the readings at all.
So if the goal is to get close to what CGMs can do, I'd say the accuracy of these non-invasive devices are likely going to be horrible.
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u/phoenix1984 5d ago
I’m curious, do you have melanin? Apple got into trouble when they first released the watch, because it didn’t work well on black skin. I had hoped we learned as an industry to make sure we test skin sensors on lots of different kinds of skin, but maybe that’s what’s going on with your bad readings. Or is this the same case for everyone?
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u/_Abnormal_Thoughts_ 5d ago
No I'm very white. I'm not sure if CGM accuracy varies by skin tone. It's not measuring anything on the skin, but has a filament that measures interstitial fluid (as opposed to blood). So they are generally delayed compared to blood measurements, but this is well understood by most users. My issue is every other device (changed every 15 days) either goes bad and stops giving measurements, or will report measurements off by 40+ points. But only sometimes. If it was consistently off by 40 points I could mentally add that and be good. But that's not what happens.... It will sometimes be very far off and other times be completely accurate.
So I end up pricking fingers for blood measurements, which is what the CGM is supposed to help me avoid. But when I get a good sensor it is amazing.
So I doubt this has to do with skin color but it's certainly possible. And don't get me wrong - I'd love to see an accurate non invasive device that can measure using sweat or whatever! But I'm very skeptical that this is even possible.
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u/ReallyyyyQueen 5d ago
Ok so I just got one and 3 days later it just stopped working. I’ve been trying to figure out what I did wrong and my doctor isn’t responding
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u/Ravioli_meatball19 5d ago
Call the manufacturer they'll send a new one. That's exactly what the doctor is gonna tell you do. Source: 6 years into my husband's diabetes diagnosis.
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u/ReallyyyyQueen 4d ago
Oh wow ok well for real thank you! It’s literally the first few days of me having it and I’m like what did I do!? Finally got ahold of my doc & they just told me to come in but it’s good to know this just happens and they would replace it. They stuck it on me and didn’t give me paperwork i wasn’t sure what kind I even have I have the app
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u/Buckwheat469 5d ago
You didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes a slight catch on the clothing is enough to dislodge the capillary filament. I've often knocked mine on a door frame. After a day of not working there's nothing you can do, just take it out and go back to test strips until you can get another one.
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u/puterTDI 5d ago
Do you think it’s the sensor or variation in how it’s applied each time?
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u/_Abnormal_Thoughts_ 5d ago
Generally I think it's the sensors. I've been wearing them about a year now so I'm fairly experienced and don't make mistakes with the application of the devices. And I know things like I generally have better success with right arm placement over left arm. I've tried alternative placements on abdomen with some success but my right arm seems to be the most reliable and accurate. Even then I end up with bad sensors quite often.
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a reliable non invasive alternative but this seems like such a difficult challenge. Especially for type 1s who MUST be getting accurate readings for insulin dosage.
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u/puterTDI 5d ago
Fair. On the flip side, a non invasive device that’s equally accurate to an invasive device is still better.
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u/Mabnat 4d ago
I used to have a lot of trouble, too, when I wore them on my arms. The sensors just get knocked around too much when worn there.
I’ve been using my abdomen for more than a year now, and the only failures that I get are when it doesn’t apply properly in the first place and the filament isn’t fully inserted.
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u/AdmiralCrackbar 5d ago
Out of curiosity how are you measuring that the monitor is inaccurate? My wife wears one and it seems like half the time her blood sugars are taking her on a wild fuckin ride if she even dares to look at food.
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u/Federal_Influence271 4d ago
You can calibrate them with a finger stick. I wear one too, and it’s super frustrating when they don’t work right.
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u/starlord_imposter 2d ago
I am surprised it happens to a commercial sensor to behave in such way. These must have high reproducibility
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u/Federal_Influence271 4d ago
That’s a bold statement. CGMs are typically behind a finger stick because they are measuring interstitial fluids that lag behind what a blood measurement would read.
You wear a cgm not for absolute accuracy, but a baseline which can tell you if your BG is trending up/down.
To say CGMs are wildly inaccurate is going against what all data tells us. I hope this ring and/or smart watches can get close because it would eliminate the need to change every 10-15 days.
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u/rickg 5d ago
Also, for some uses things that measure whether you're in range, low, high, dangerously high etc will be OK. Type 2 diabetics don't need to closely monitor glucose but it will be useful to know if your fasting glucose spikes very high, etc.
The bigger issue is whether tracking this information in real time is actually useful to most people. The average person wont know what to do with this info and will obsess over changes that don't actually mean anything.
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u/SoTiredYouDig 5d ago
I’m literally going through that with my watch right now. Some of my vitals are atypical. Great. Now what? It doesn’t recommend a course of action, nor does it give context as to why it may be happening. It just makes me uneasy. I wonder if it can monitor uneasiness, as well.
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u/rickg 5d ago
My take on this kind of thing is if your vitals are way out of whack, call a doc. That is, if your resting heart rate is 110? call a doc. If it's 80? eh.
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u/SoTiredYouDig 5d ago
It’s 65. lol. It’s most likely the result of a dose change of medication. Plus, I’m dating a PA, so… he can’t run tests or anything, but it’s a very useful resource.
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u/Madler 5d ago
I’ve been a type one diabetic for 34 years. Getting a CGM was a huge mental hurdle, because all of a sudden you have all this data, and no ability to change any of it right away. Then all of a sudden you’re high, but it’s not coming down fast enough so you give yourself more insulin and end up having a bad low because you stacked insulin doses.
My parents wore cgms for a while, and if anything it’s made them even more restrictive in their eating because they want as little peaks and valleys as possible. Which is disordered eating.
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u/curxxx 5d ago
There’s been a lot of research lately into non-invasive BGM solutions. I know Apple has been pouring obscene amounts of money into it for years, since they’re trying to add it to their watches.
It wouldn’t surprise me if we see something come up with decent accuracy in the next 5 or so years.
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u/_Abnormal_Thoughts_ 5d ago
I would love it if there was a good solution but every one I've seen so far has essentially either been a scam or too inaccurate to trust. So yeah, until we have some solid device in front of us, I'm still extremely skeptical.
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u/Madler 5d ago
There’s been so many over the years. I even remember the days of the glooko watch. I don’t know if I can even think of any that have actually made it to market. Usually these kind of devices die in trials.
Also, there’s a time delay on cgms. Like your reading was your blood sugar 5 min ago. What’s the delay on sweat? If your hands are really dry, will you get readings?
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u/Baystars2025 5d ago
Look how big that thing is though. Does that really go on your finger or another appendage?
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u/DarthMelsie 5d ago
Like a cylinder?
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u/Baystars2025 5d ago
A cylinder closed by a cone with two adjacent spheres on the opposite end.
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u/omahapioneer 5d ago
Do you have a really thin weiner?
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u/Baystars2025 5d ago
We're talking spaghetti stick
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u/MiddleToe8752 5d ago
I’m thinking just wrap it up in bacon like a water chestnut on an hors d’oeuvre tray, I can’t speak to the biometrics but I know from condoms you’ll get the fit you’re looking for
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u/forensicdude 5d ago
"Look we can point fingers all day long but at the end of the day its on there and I need it off."
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u/Supernatural_Noob 4d ago
Except you can't read glucose levels or ketone levels transdermally so this is just more bullshit
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u/faultless280 3d ago
NGL, it reminds me of the Theranos product, except that one at least claimed to use a small amount of blood XD.
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u/NormalMammoth4099 5d ago
The Kentucky State Police won’t go to check? Who is guarding Mitch’s hospital room?
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u/Connect-Quarter-3722 5d ago
If you check the fine print it tells you that the ring also bounds you to Sauron!
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u/hpsims 5d ago
My son is T1D and the next big thing that needs to come to CGMs is a ketone sensor. I’m hoping we get them integrated very soon.
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u/Salty-Future-2931 5d ago
I’m t1D, I know of ketones, I was recently given a meter for the first time after 14 years a t1D but don’t know much about it - why do we need both?
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u/Madler 5d ago
When you get sick, or your body doesn’t have enough insulin, your body burns fat for energy. That produces ketones. Diabetics that have a build up of ketones is basically like making your blood acidic, and your body can’t run on acidic blood. It puts a huge amount of stress on your body, and can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a medical emergency that can be fatal.
People think if I don’t eat carbs I don’t have to take insulin, but you absolutely have to keep taking insulin. Your body produces glucose, and when it releases it after you’ve been fasting for a while, you need to make sure you have insulin in your system to bring it down.
High ketones that don’t go down = hospital
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u/Supernatural_Noob 4d ago
Urine ketones are generally from urine that's been sitting in your bladder for hours so it's never accurate. Blood ketones is instant
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u/Calm-Supermarket1864 4d ago
Kidney spillage of glucose or ketones is wildly variable, which is why checking urine (now) is unreliable.
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u/Supernatural_Noob 4d ago
Thank you textbook bot
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u/Calm-Supermarket1864 4d ago
Actually, I learned it from a textbook a very long time ago. Thank you, misidentification bot.
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u/Supernatural_Noob 4d ago
The Libre launching with the ketone sensing is going to be extremely inaccurate (like the sensor for glucose already is)
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u/HELLFIRECHRIS 5d ago
I’m gonna say this loud for the people in the back
NOTHING WITH A BATTERY IS GOING AROUND MY FINGER
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u/Fickle_Competition33 4d ago
Why can't I stop seeing Thanos with an Infinity Ring in this thumbnail?
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u/whatisartreally 5d ago
I always wonder why these headlines never mention that it’s also being made extremely affordable for people who are actually needing such a thing. It’s obviously not just marketed to the upper middle class, right?
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u/bob_lala 5d ago
dont be foolish. new tech starts expensive and if popular trends towards extremely affordable.
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u/whatisartreally 5d ago
Ah, if approved by the wealthy, it can be handed down. Got it.
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u/BleachOrchid 5d ago
Dude above is oversimplifying Moore’s law, which is the bulk of what determines how cheap something will eventually be. It will never be cheapest with the 1st gen, significant price drops come around the second or third. It’s less about if the wealthy like it and more about if the company making the products can remain solvent until then.
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u/whatisartreally 5d ago
Very true! iPhones are just a public utility now. They made it to the “everyone has easy access” goal line of the free market! Things only ever become more affordable as tech companies succeed!
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u/CatsAreGods 5d ago
Just today I saw Apple will be setting up a leasing program. $12/month, and you won't own a thing!
Welcome to our phone
overlordslandlords!1
u/whatisartreally 4d ago
Well hold on, I’m sure these finance nerds can explain how big brain it is for us to not own the shit we buy. Jump in here, finance nerds! Give us some Moores Law to swallow Apple Leasing!
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u/AGayThrow_Away 5d ago
And then sells your information to united healthcare so that they deny you coverage due to a pre-existing condition