Report: Google’s Verily developing painless blood draw device

Google (NSDQ:GOOG) parent Alphabet‘s (NSDQ:GOOGL) Verily is developing a painless blood collection system using microneedles and magnets, according to a new CNBC report.

The system has already been implemented in a working prototype by Verily’s Silicon Valley team, though the company is exploring multiple form factors for the device, according to the report.

Commercialization of the moonshot device, which CNBC reports will function by “exploding” needles into the wearers skin and then retracting them using magnets, could still be years away and faces regulatory and technical hurdles.

The most likely use for the device would be to keep track of blood-based biomarkers during clinical trial monitoring, according to the report, but the company is still exploring other possible uses.

The blood-drawing watch device could be designed to contain several compartments designed to store and measure small blood samples to analyze it for signals, according to the report.

The device could also be used as a replacement for traditional blood draws in certain medical settings, CNBC reports.

Verily has not yet lined up a partner for the development, according to the report, which would require a significant R&D investment and would have to meet a number of FDA regulatory hurdles.

Last September, a new study emerged showing that Verily is developing a new artificial-intelligence powered test that searches for indicators of heart disease risk present in retina images.

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