India, March 24 -- Blood glucose is usually measured using invasive methods involving pricking small needles into the skin. But people suffering from diabetes have to test their glucose levels many times in a day. This repeated use of needles is inconvenient and can increase the risk of potential infections.

A new study by researchers at the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru offers an alternative solution via a technique called photoacoustic sensing.

In this technique, when a laser beam is shined on biological tissue, the tissue components absorb the light and the tissue heats up slightly (less than 1degC). This causes the tissue to expand and contract, creating vibr...