Garmin's patent describes using optical sensors in smartwatches to estimate glycated hemoglobin, offering long-term glucose trend analysis without invasive methods.
© A. Krivonosov
The wearable device industry continues to push toward deeper analysis of health metrics, and Garmin appears determined not to be left behind. The company has filed a patent application describing a method for non-invasively estimating glycated hemoglobin levels using optical sensors embedded in smartwatches.
The patent was noted by Wareable. The document discusses not instantaneous blood sugar measurements, but rather long-term trend analysis. Glycated hemoglobin is a clinical metric doctors use to assess average glucose levels over an extended period, not at a specific moment in time.
According to the description, the watch collects optical data about how light passes through tissues and blood beneath the skin. Algorithms analyze this data to identify stable patterns and convert them into an approximate glycated hemoglobin value. In other words, the system does not measure glucose directly but works with indirect biological markers.
This approach could potentially give users a more comprehensive picture of their metabolic health without the need for invasive methods—finger pricks or external continuous glucose monitoring sensors. However, the concept remains theoretical for now and requires rigorous clinical validation for accuracy and reliability.
It's important to emphasize that this is a patent, not a finished product. Not all patented technologies reach commercial launch, especially in the medical metrics field where strict regulatory requirements apply. For comparison, Huawei already offers a diabetes risk assessment feature on some watch models, but it is based on general health trends rather than calculating a specific glucose value. In Garmin's case, the effort represents an attempt to approach a clinical metric, making the development particularly ambitious.