The development of a noninvasive blood glucose monitoring sensor could usher in an era of smartwatches capable of collecting health data. CNBC reported that the development of this sensor, a project that dates back to Steve Jobs, has progressed to the point where it has been tested at a clinical testing facility and experts have been hired to assist with the legal certification process.



Google also unveiled the Study Watch, a smartwatch for medical research purposes.

Verily, Alphabet's life sciences subsidiary, announced the official launch of the Baseline Project, a biomarker development initiative. The project, which collects data samples ranging from tissue samples to tears, urine, and other test results, initially tested 175 people in the summer of 2014 and is expanding.

Verily will conduct a trial with 10,000 participants in collaboration with Duke University School of Medicine and Stanford University School of Medicine. The plan is to collect health-related data by providing sensors that monitor heart rate, skin galvanic activity, and activity levels, a smart watch that can record electrocardiogram data, a terminal that can monitor sleep habits, and a hub terminal necessary for receiving and transmitting data.

Smartwatch shipments in the fourth quarter of 2016 increased by 16.9% compared to the fourth quarter of 2015. While the number of devices is increasing, they are still primarily low-cost fitness devices. Once Apple and Google complete their projects, a new era of wearable devices is expected, leading to a significant increase in shipments.