Wearables have already mastered the obvious. We are now able to count our steps, sleep well and even detect serious diseases such as atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea with just a simple watch on our wrist or a ring on our finger. However, there is one thing that still stands in the way of the entire wearable industry and that is a non-invasive way to measure one’s glucose level.
A startup unveiled its own solution at CES 2026, called PreEvnt Isaac, which might just become the first effective wearable continuous glucose monitor device. For many years, people needed to prick their fingers or place uncomfortable CGM sensor under the skin to check their blood sugar level.
The difference lies in the fact that unlike other similar wearables, Isaac does not go to the fingers or attach itself to the user’s arm. Instead, it hangs around the neck of the person and measures the glucose via your breath. Yes, breath!
What Is the PreEvnt Isaac Blood Glucose Monitor?
Isaac is an innovative glucose monitoring device introduced by PreEvnt, a company that is owned by Scosche Industries. As an unobtrusive device, Isaac is a tiny pendant worn on the neck or clipped to clothes. In place of painful needles for pin-pricking the fingers or attaching sensors to the arms of the patient, the device measures chemicals in the patient’s breath.
Technically speaking, Isaac can hardly be expected to completely replace other glucose monitors. The device should rather be considered as an advanced alert system, allowing patients to keep track of their glucose levels while avoiding any pain associated with regular glucose testing.
Isaac is used with a mobile app, where it logs all the readings and displays clear trend charts along with alerts when the levels of glucose in the bloodstream get dangerously high or low. You can also send readings to family members or caretakers.
What makes this even more fascinating is that it all started with Bud Wilcox, the inventor of the product, whose grandson, Issac, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was only two years old. Bud felt compelled to make his invention after observing how his grandson endured numerous finger sticks each day. The goal here is to turn glucose monitoring less painful, less stressful and more practical for people.
Why Glucose Monitoring Matters
Blood glucose is one of the most critical biomarkers in the body, regardless of whether or not someone suffers from diabetes.
It influences energy expenditure, cognitive function, metabolism and chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer. When glucose levels in the bloodstream are stable, we feel great. On the other hand, when blood glucose levels are not at an optimal level, we experience mood swings, lack of concentration and fatigue.
People who live with diabetes need continuous glucose monitoring. There are hundreds of millions of people around the world suffering from diabetes, and their blood glucose levels fluctuate widely over a day based on diet, stress, physical activity, sleep patterns and medicines. These changes are critical since Hyperglycemia, or excessively high blood sugar levels, may lead to irreversible organ and nerve injury.
This means that continuous glucose monitoring must be frequent, accurate and timely. People should receive immediate feedback rather than waiting several hours after eating or exercising to know their glucose levels. And the biggest challenge?
Current technology is quite invasive. Either using finger sticks on a daily basis or placing CGM sensors underneath the skin once every week or two. This is both painful and expensive and for many, quite a frightening ordeal. While the industry is advancing and moving towards needle free CGM sensors like the Biolinq Shine, it’s still a long road ahead.
How the Isaac Monitor Works
That’s what makes Isaac so fascinating and also where there is quite a heated debate on the matter. Rather than detecting the levels of glucose in your blood, Isaac monitors volatile organic compounds present in your breath. Now, before we argue whether it’s accurate or not, here’s how it all works:
Step 1: Breath Sampling
Simply blow into the device, just like you would do with a regular breathalyzer. It only takes about 10-30 seconds.
Step 2: VOC Detection
The device detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as acetone, found in your breath. As the glucose level in your blood goes up, the body produces more acetone, which consequently increases in concentration in your breath.
Step 3: Metal Oxide Gas Sensors
To be able to detect even the smallest changes in acetone concentration, it uses highly sensitive metal oxide (MOx) sensors produced by a company called Nanoz.
Step 4: Interpretation of Data
The data collected by the sensors is interpreted and analyzed by the system for further use.
Step 5: Sync with the Application
All information collected during testing is sent to the companion mobile application.
How is it Different From Continuous Glucose Monitoring?
Here’s what really needs to be understood about Isaac: It is not continuous like a CGM.
A CGM monitors the blood sugar level all day, but Isaac forces you to draw your breath into the device periodically throughout the day. This means that Isaac falls somewhere in between, being more efficient than finger pricks but less so than a CGM.
Now the debate is, if it analyzes the rise in acetone when blood glucose is high, will it detect when the blood sugar is low?
Is It Non-Invasive?
Yes, the PreEvnt Issac Blood Glucose Monitor is non-invasive and this is actually the greatest advantage that makes it unique. Traditional techniques like your daily regimen of finger pricking to measure blood sugar or wearing a CGM with an invasive sensor placed under your skin and changing weekly, are rather invasive.
Isaac eliminates both options. There is no need for any needles or pricks anymore, there is nothing to put under your skin, no need to change any devices or sensors. All you need to do is just breathe through the device itself.
Why This Feature Is Important
Such non-invasive glucose monitoring can solve several issues faced by millions of patients daily:
- Pain and discomfort from frequent finger pricking (it is especially difficult for children)
- Fear of using needles
- The procedure is a task for people who need frequent monitoring
- Wearing something visible that you might not want to display
It may come as a welcome change to the parents of kids with Type 1 diabetes or any person sick and tired of fighting with the needle every day.
But here comes the harsh reality: the non-invasive methods are far more complicated when it comes to making them accurate.
That is precisely why, after all the years of research and money spent, no giant company in the field of smartwatches or wearables has managed to come up with a successful product.
It’s Isaac’s big bet on breath analysis that will break the cycle.
How It Compares to Traditional CGMs
This is when we should really rein in our expectations. Traditional, Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) produced by companies such as Dexcom and Abbott are currently the gold standard for patients who require intensive glucose monitoring. This system involves using a sensor implanted underneath the skin that monitors the concentration of glucose within the interstitial fluid and transmits the information to a mobile app.
Here is a direct comparison of both systems:
| Feature | PreEvnt Isaac | Traditional CGMs |
|---|---|---|
| Invasive | No | Yes (sensor inserted under skin) |
| Data type | Indirect (breath VOCs) | Direct (actual glucose levels) |
| Monitoring | On-demand (breath samples) | Truly continuous |
| Accuracy | Still under validation | Clinically validated |
| Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Replacement | No | Yes (primary medical device) |
It is not Isaac’s intention to compete with traditional CGMs on an equal footing. Rather, its goal is to limit the amount of time individuals spend using this piece of technology.
Isaac is best described as a supplementary awareness monitor rather than an alternative to existing medical devices. It may come in handy for those who want to prick their fingers less often, worried parents and any person interested in an additional layer of protection that does not involve an invasive process.
This is simply another option that is not necessarily better or worse all the time, just an alternative.
Real-World Use Cases
While not a replacement, here’s where you start seeing how the PreEvnt Isaac Blood Glucose Monitor would genuinely make someone’s life better.
Managing Diabetes
People with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes could see the benefits of using PreEvnt Isaac Blood Glucose Monitor. It has the ability to lower the amount of needle pricks necessary throughout the day, provide alerts for spikes and act as an alternative form of technology for those who are tired of having to prick themselves.
Especially in circumstances that might require monitoring blood sugars at night or during activities, like playing sports or going swimming, the PreEvnt Isaac Blood Glucose Monitor could be a game changer.
Health Monitoring & Nutritional Tracking
Blood sugar testing isn’t just for individuals managing diabetes. As there becomes increasing emphasis on metabolic health, personalized diets and even the use of GLP-1 inhibitors like Ozempic, people are becoming interested in learning about the effects that food, exercise, stress and even sleep have on their blood sugars.
Isaac would be an easier introduction to this type of technology and monitoring by providing behavioral feedback on their blood sugar levels as opposed to committing to a CGM.
Preventive Health
Being able to diagnose the potential for diabetes early is vital. By being able to catch the signs that something is wrong at an early stage, Isaac might actually be able to do some good for someone who has prediabetes and get him or her to change his or her lifestyle habits.
It’s also easy to use, non-invasive and thus much easier to do regular monitoring when needed. Whether it’s self-monitoring, monitoring a loved one or even just out of curiosity.
Limitations and Challenges
Despite being promising, PreEvnt Isaac Blood Glucose Monitor still has its limitations.
- Accuracy
- It measures acetone concentration in exhaled air, which indirectly reflects glucose content.
- It detects high glucose levels more accurately compared to low levels of hypoglycemia.
- The results can vary depending on various external factors like diet and hydration.
- Not Truly Continuous Monitoring
- You need to actively blow air into the device, this means that it does not provide constant monitoring, it provides data on demand.
- Approval Issues
- At the moment, Isaac is still under clinical trials and is yet to receive FDA approval.
- Limited Scope
- Currently, Isaac is designed to detect high glucose levels, but reliable hypoglycemia detection is yet to be developed.
- The complete trust in the new technology may require some time.
- Some patients may still require the use of CGM devices for their medical needs.
Is PreEvnt Isaac Available Yet?
No, Isaac is currently in development and not yet commercially available in the U.S. The device is in the clinical trial phase, where researchers are testing its breath-based readings against traditional glucose monitoring methods to validate accuracy and real-world performance.
Regulatory Clearance & Market Access
PreEvnt is actively seeking clearance from the FDA via the De Novo process. The De Novo process is designed specifically for brand new medical devices that have no similar device that has been cleared by the FDA.
Because the process is quite stringent and the time required can vary depending on their clinical studies, the approval of PreEvnt’s De Novo request may open up pathways for Isaac to be available to the market within the next few years.
The Future of Glucose Monitoring Wearables
Isaac is just one of the products that is a part of the larger race in the world of health technologies. Almost everyone, from startups to large companies such as Apple, Google or Samsung, strives to get the ultimate device for continuous and accurate non-invasive glucose measurement. But, the prize is huge, which is why there are multiple directions being considered.
Optical sensors, sweat analysis, alternative interstitial fluid sensors and other solutions are all on the table, including Isaac itself. And the fact that even such tech titans as Apple failed to make a breakthrough, demonstrates how complicated the task at hand actually is.
While Isaac doesn’t offer any of the advantages promised by competing devices, it stands at an intelligent transitional point. It is not intrusive like the CGMs we know, it is not entirely continuous like the future glucose trackers and it doesn’t offer full diagnostics like medical-grade monitoring systems. At the same time, if PreEvnt can successfully bring Isaac to market and keep improving it, it could offer a certain value:
- Break the initial threshold for individuals to begin glucose monitoring
- Ensure that glucose monitoring is extremely easy to do and does not cause any intimidation, particularly among young patients
- Aim to transition glucose monitoring from a clinical necessity to an essential part of well-being.
It may not be the ultimate solution, but it certainly could be the crucial intermediate step on our way to the long-awaited future, where glucose levels are just as easy to track as your heartbeat and sleep quality.
Wrap Up
The PreEvnt Isaac isn’t groundbreaking, at least not yet. But it is a genuinely important step forward in an incredibly tough area of smart wearables. It’s bravely taking on one of the hardest and most sought-after challenges in the entire industry: measuring glucose accurately without ever touching blood.
The idea behind Isaac is really compelling- a small pendant you wear around your neck, a simple breath test, no needles, no sensors stuck to your skin and helpful real-time alerts. For anyone tired of constant finger pricks, especially kids, that vision is very attractive.
At the same time, the limitations are very real and important to understand: it uses indirect measurements, it’s still in early stages of validation and it’s definitely not a full replacement for medical-grade CGMs. The best way to think about Isaac right now is as a bridge between the invasive clinical tools we’ve relied on for years and a future where glucose monitoring finally becomes painless and something everyone can easily live with.
Whether Isaac succeeds or not, devices like this are valuable. They push the entire industry forward and bring us closer to the future. And in the world of wearables, most real breakthroughs start exactly like this- with ambitious, imperfect first attempts. I’ll be watching PreEvnt and Isaac closely. This space is going to get very interesting over the next few years.
