“Noninvasive” monitoring device Eyva measures blood glucose without pricking the skin and taking blood samples.
“We wanted to build a product that people should love to get, not out of fear,” Sunil Maddikatla, The CEO and founder of Hyderabad-based BlueSemi is very clear about why he created a non-invasive glucose monitor.
The user of Eyva’s blood glucose monitoring system measures blood glucose levels through the skin. Diabetes patients no longer need to prick themselves for fingerstick blood tests.
“When we thought of Eyva and the product itself, we always envisioned it to be a device with zero hassles, no wires and cables, something which is portable and sleek in design,” Maddikatla tells indianexpress.com on the sidelines of the CES tech expo.
“I got inspiration from the Mercedes Vision AVTR car while designing Eyva,” says Maddikatla,
An expert in high-accuracy sensors from the IIIT-Hyderabad, who founded BlueSemi in 2017. The company launched Sens in 2020, a contactless body temperature measuring device. Maddikatla has been working on design-led healthcare tech products that are easy to use, affordable, and connected.
All-metal device, which looks more like an Apple product than a glucometer, is the size of a smartphone. “Why should we design healthcare products in the same way as healthcare products?” “Why can’t we design something more beautiful?” asks Maddikatla.
It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to a smartphone app, which tracks and stores glucose readings. The device lacks a display where users can see the readings. “People don’t like numbers…this is your heart rate, this is your glucose,” Maddikatla explains why the team decided not to put any sort of display on the product. “We want people to use Eyva like WhatsApp or Instagram, where they can open it at any time and start using it without a second thought.”
Non-invasive glucose monitors are becoming increasingly popular globally, but different companies have different approaches to the problem. At CES last year, Japanese startup Quantum Operations Inc demonstrated a prototype wearable that measures blood sugar accurately. Using a spectrometer, the device measures glucose in the blood using an Apple Watch-like interface.
Apple has been reportedly working on a wearable device to monitor blood sugar for years. Fitbit teamed up with Dexcom in 2017 to integrate continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data into its Ionic smartwatch. Scientists are developing graphene-and-gold sensors to measure glucose levels, but Maddikatla says the technology is at least a decade away from being ready for commercialization.
The Eyva device measures glucose levels in blood through the skin using a technique called sensor fusion and artificial intelligence. “We utilize around nine sensors to accurately measure glucose molecules inside the body,” he says. The user places their fingers on the designated area on the device, and waits for 60 seconds to measure their blood glucose levels with the least amount of pain. Your smartphone app displayed the results of analyzing the data that came in using artificial intelligence.
Eyva was developed in close cooperation with diagnostic centers to ensure its accuracy. He claims that it is 90 percent accurate. The contactless glucometer is convenient, but it is not as accurate as traditional methods.
Eyva will be shown for the first time at CES 2022 by BlueSemi, but Maddikatla wants to market its product and has already begun the process of getting certifications in India, Europe, and the US. Maddikatla claims that Eyva is not a “medical-grade” device, which could simplify certification.
A user can use Eyva for various profiles and it is not tied to a particular one. It can also measure blood oxygen levels, ECGs, heart rates, stress levels, water intake levels, and even ECGs, making it an all-in-one health tracker for homes.
Eyva is built in India and has been designed there. Maddikatla expects to manufacture around 1200 units in the first quarter but will increase production based on user feedback and demand. Shipments will begin sometime in March this year, with the device costing Rs 15,490.