Problem: Glucose Monitoring for Diabetics
- Body part that was analyzed was the pancreas
- When the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body does not use insulin properly, people develop a condition of three years
- There is no cure at the present time
- talked to people with diabetes to discover that glucose monitoring was the part of the condition that effected them the most
- Our problem was to find an innovative way for diabetics to measure their glucose readings other than the current methods monitor their glucose readings to maintain their insulin levels
- Can be effected greatly by stress, activity level, foods eaten, and medications
Current Solutions:
- A CGM (continuous glucose monitor) is worn on a belt, near the stomach, and is moved every 3 days and communicates with an insulin pump on the belt
- Does require calibration 2-3 times a day as the sensor is measuring interstitial fluid which has a lag time compared to blood which is real time
- Provides wearer a little more freedom and is much more private
- Have to be moved every 3 days due to the body encapsulating them and make them useless
- Most popular method is finger pricking 4-10 times a day
- Provides real time glucose reading
- Painful, possible infection, callouses on fingertips
- Glucose meter must be carried with you at all times
Our Solution: “The Sentinel”
- The Sentinel, a three part glucose monitor system comprised of a bio-implant, a watch, and an insulin pump
- It gives immediate real-time blood glucose levels. It’s wireless, self-calibrating, and self-monitoring
- readings are wirelessly transmitted through radio frequency identification (RFID) to a watch
- the watch would communicate with an external insulin pump to automatically inject the necessary amount of insulin
- the watch has additional applications such as USB for a diabetic user’s software package for maintenance records
- the watch has an alarm system to monitor low or high glucose levels. An alarm sounds and an emergency contact is made
Implementation
- A person would order the sentinel system from their family or specialist doctor
- They would order their watch choice over the internet for delivery
-Training sessions on how to use the system would take place before the bio implant is inserted
-An appt. would be booked for implant at which time the watch and the pump would be hooked up for use
