Non-invasive glucose monitoring with an Arduino-based prototype

Portenta H7 and GIGA Display Shield cut the prototyping phase by 25% for an innovative alternative to traditional glucometers.

Viit Health is a healthtech company building non-invasive, real-time tools to monitor key biomarkers—such as glucose, blood pressure, oxygen saturation.

Case Highlights

Rapidly prototype a POC with seamless hardware integration, pre-built AI/ML frameworks, and a modular design.
Achieve high-performance spectral processing thanks to dual-core architecture and on-device ML.
Accelerate clinical readiness by validating feasibility and optimizing for early trials.

Challenge

Accurate and convenient glucose monitoring is essential for diabetes management and metabolic health research. A non-invasive, scalable solution could significantly improve daily life for diabetic and pre-diabetic patients.

Traditional finger-prick methods are uncomfortable, discourage frequent testing, and depend on costly disposable test strips or continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). That’s why Viit Health, a company specializing in non-invasive glucometry research, partnered with Softeq – leaders in embedded tech and Edge AI – to create a proof-of-concept (POC) prototype utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) to measure blood glucose levels without drawing blood.

Solution

non-invasive glucose monitoring with an Arduino-based prototype

By leveraging the Arduino Portenta H7, Softeq was able to rapidly prototype, test, and validate the concept, enabling the client to confirm NIR-based glucose sensing as a feasible solution.

Multi-wavelength NIR LEDs emit light onto the fingertip at specific wavelengths to analyze glucose absorption patterns. A spectrometer captures the tissue’s response to light absorption, while Portenta H7 processes spectral data and runs AI models to interpret glucose levels. Finally, the results are displayed instantly on the Arduino GIGA Display Shield.

The role of rapid prototyping

Before regulatory approval, the technology needed extensive testing and refinement. The client aimed to develop a working prototype to prove the feasibility of NIR-based glucose sensing, ensure real-time glucose measurement with AI-driven spectral analysis, use the prototype to guide the development of a dedicated medical device, and provide data validation for future clinical trials and regulatory approval.

Empowering Medical Innovation with Arduino’s Portenta H7 and GIGA Display Shield

Portenta H7’s dual-core ARM® architecture (Cortex-M7 @ 480MHz + Cortex-M4 @ 240MHz) enables high-speed spectral processing and runs AI inference models for machine learning, supporting real-time glucose estimation from spectral data. It also provided Softeq with the flexible hardware integration needed for rapid assembly and testing, and features the low power consumption required for portable medical device development. The GIGA Display Shield touchscreen was a natural complement to complete the prototype, providing a 3.97-inch touch screen for user-friendly data representation and navigation.

What’s next?

With a validated concept, the client has moved forward with a custom-built, compact medical device and clinical trials, to gather real-world patient data for regulatory approval.

Viit Health’s goal is now to optimize the dedicated medical device by refining form factor and performance based on clinical trial feedback, expand clinical trials to gather larger datasets for further validation, and progress toward FDA/CE approval for market adoption.