The future of managing insulin and blood glucose levels
As the world of fitness progresses, so does the war against illness. Read on to find out more about advances in the field of insulin level management.
Digital contact lenses
Google has patented a digital contact lens that allows us to access information from the digital world. If this is not incredible enough, it also has the ability to measure blood glucose levels from your tears!
Google partnered with the pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop these smart contact lenses, which claims it can fix farsightedness as well.
Gamification
This term refers to the use of gaming elements (scorekeeping, rules, points, etc.) as a marketing tool to make an online application appealing to users.
There are amazing smartphone companies helping diabetics manage their illness – such as MySugr, an Austrian company which has already started adding gamification to their diabetes management apps.
Bionic pancreas
Basically, these are artificial pancreata that act as a looped insulin delivery system. The device constantly measures blood glucose levels and subsequently decides upon the correct amount of insulin delivery by itself.
Pocket-sized gadgets
Diabetics are used to carrying around meters, test strips, and lancing devices to measure their blood glucose levels. Soon, a personalised, pocket-size gadget called Dario will take care of all of that by sending information to your smartphone so you can stay informed.
Digital tattoos
It is already possible to get a temporary digital tattoo that measures blood glucose levels by using electric currents in order to attract glucose to the skin’s surface.
The concept is the brainchild of nano-engineers at UCSD and is based on the GlucoWatch, a discontinued wristband that worked on the same principle. The problem was that the electric current the GlucoWatch utilised to attract glucose to the surface of the skin was very high, often leading to users complaining about discomfort. The temporary digital tattoo uses a much gentler – yet still effective – current.
With emerging technologies and continuous innovation, the future might even allow for the possibility of medications and drugs becoming redundant in managing illness.