International Diabetes Federation estimates that every seven seconds one person dies from diabetes. 400 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes. 1 in 2 people with diabetes don’t know they have it. In 2014, there were 4.9 million deaths caused by diabetes. This is really unfortunate because in most cases diabetes is preventable. We already wrote an article called Mobile diabetes systems in 2011, but wearable industry has expanded since then. In this article we write about new generation of wearables that help diabetes patients in their everyday life.
Google has developed contact lenses that measure glucose level in tears. They are embedded with a small sensor between two layers of contact lens material. The prototypes currently being tested are able to generate one reading per second. There is still a lot of work to be done, so we hope in the next year Google will manage to introduce this product to a broad spectrum of diabetes patients.
The Dexcom´s CGM is a FDA-approved device that provides real-time glucose readings. CGM stands for continuous glucose monitoring. The data recorded shows you where the glucose is, where it’s going, and how fast it’s getting there. It does around 288 reading per day. The product consists of a small sensor that measures glucose levels just underneath the skin.
Insulin Angel is a small wearable that notifies you before your medication reaches a critical temperature, or when you lose, or forget your medication or equipment. You simply attach Insulin Angel to your medication bag. It is practical by tracking your usage and waste. The device is connected to an App and communicates with smartphones over Bluetooth Low Energy.
Scientists have developed a smart patch for regulating glucose in blood. The patch has for now only been tested on animals but they claim that new enzyme-based glucose-responsive mechanism can regulate the blood glucose of mice with type 1 diabetes.
OmniPod is great for all insulin users. There are no needles involved and the company claims it´s practically pain free. It has an interesting approach because it comes in 2 parts. Pod is a light weight insulin reservoir worn as a patch which inserts the insulin into your body and PDM – Personal Diabetes Manager, which wirelessly manages your insulin delivery based on your personal settings. You can personalize it by setting the time and the amount that you would like to insert which makes it easier and there is one less thing you need to worry about.
FreeStyle Libre System consists of a small sensor worn on the back of the upper arm. It measures glucose every minute through a five-millimeter-long filament that is inserted just under the skin and held in place with an adhesive pad. We are very happy that Abbott Diabetes Care was one of our speakers at WT | Wearable Technologies Conference 2015 MUNICH .
Infra Vitalis is a smartwatch that not only measure continuous blood glucose monitoring, but also continuous blood pressure monitoring, oxygenation level, body temperature and much more. The company was crowedfunded and we hope this smartwatch will be out on the market soon.
Panasonic Healthcare Holdings just announced that they will buy a German pharmaceutical company, Bayer´s diabetes care, for 1.02 billion euros. This is exciting news! It will be interesting to see the merging of healthcare and wearable technology.
Medtronic has perfected their MiniMed 530G with Enlite. The enlite sensor is a CGM system which is constantly reading your glucose levels. The MiniMed will alert you to take more or less insulin. It is special because it has a thresh suspend to offer more control for the user.
These wearable devices are not meant for prevention but to help patients deal with this disease in their everyday life. The technology is smaller and more practical than in 2011. WT hopes you will use these products to simplify and enhance your active lives.
