This week’s Smart Health roundup features Google’s new health tracker, Sano’s hefty $10.25 million round of seed funding, and a wireless headset to watch for.

Google’s health tracker to aid in medical research

The life sciences division of Google’s X Lab has created a health tracker able to measure a patient’s pulse, heart rhythm and skin temperature, but unlike other fitness trackers today, the device is aimed to be used in clinical trials and medical research.

The device also tracks environmental factors such as light exposure and noise, and gives minute-by-minute data on patients.

According to Andy Conrad, head of the life sciences team at Google, the device will not be marketed as a consumer device. Instead, it will be used to help researchers monitor subjects’ vital signs outside of laboratories.

“Our intended use is for this to become a medical device that’s prescribed to patients or used for clinical trials,” Conrad said to Bloomberg in an interview.

The team hopes that in the future, the device will be prescribed by physicians to their patients so they can take a more proactive approach when it comes to monitoring their health.

Sano raises $10.25M in seed funding

Biometric sensor startup Sano Intelligence, Inc. raised $10.25 million in seed funding from True Ventures and Intel Capital with the participation of First Round, Felicis Ventures, Elevation Capital, Floodgate, and Rock Health.

Sano is developing a wearable device that will continuously monitor blood glucose levels. The funding will be used to expand the Sano team in time for the device’s launch next year.

At the moment, it is unclear exactly how the said device will work in painlessly monitoring blood glucose levels, but Ashwin Pushpala, the founder of Sano, explains that the way to go about this is by not using calories to determine the level of blood glucose since blood glucose comes from several sources including proteins and fats.

Wireless earbuds that also track health

G-Wearables Inc. is working on a pair of wireless earbuds that not only delivers music to the wearer’s ears but also doubles as a fitness tracker.

Called the gogo Sport Music player, the device uses Duet Play Technology to wirelessly communicate from the earbuds to the music player. It also has sensors for real-time speed and heart rate monitoring, and wearers can use its smart exercise plan to start getting fit.

The gogo player is water resistant, has a full featured touch control, and comes in a carrying case that doubles as a charging station. It is specially designed to provide a comfortable fit, and is durable enough to pass anti-drop standards.

Photo by genphyslab