Agency to Design Diabetes Insulin Pump to rival the
iPod
Diabetics the world over will be thankful to the
talented individuals of the medical profession that have
designed crucial equipment like the blood sugar monitor
and diabetes insulin pump. These portable
devices enable us to lead active lives, taking
the
equipment we need to survive with
us wherever we wish to go.
Even so, as advances in technology allow us to
listen to music, store videos and access the internet on
gadgets the size of a matchbox, are we wrong to wish our
diabetic equipment was a little smaller, a lot more chic
and generally easier to use?
If you
agree with the blog of Amy Tendrich, a type 1 diabetic, you
won’t believe so. Amy is tired of being
asked about her ‘pager’ or ‘cell phone’ in relation to her
diabetes insulin pump and glucose monitor, and has
decided to take
action.
Blog writer calls for stylish
diabetes insulin
pump
Her
solution? To ask the company that brought us
the iPod to do something about it. She
writes “It occurred to me that this is never going to change
unless we call on the Gods of Consumer Design to champion our
cause.”
Amy
decided to use her blog to write an open letter to the CEO of
Apple, Steve Jobs, setting him the challenge of designing a
stylish yet practical diabetes insulin pump and
blood sugar
monitor.
In her
letter she says, “Whether
blood glucose monitor or insulin pump, thanks to the
achievements of medical device companies, we can now live a
normal life by constantly monitoring and adjusting our blood
sugar levels.
But have you seen these things? They
make a Philips GoGear Jukebox HDD1630 MP3 Player look
pretty! And it’s not only that: most of these devices are
clunky, make weird alarm sounds, are more or less hard to
use, and burn quickly through batteries. In other words:
their design doesn’t hold a candle to the iPod.”
Steve Jobs is yet to answer this challenge
himself, but in the mean time, a San Francisco based
design company called Adaptive Path have been quick to
rise to the task. On a visit to their offices, Amy was
impressed by the detailed research a dedicated team have
done into the difficulties and frustrations of living
with diabetes.
Prototype diabetes insulin
pump already
complete
Adaptive Path have now produced a prototype
blood glucose monitor, known as the Charmr, which has a
striking resemblance to the iPod nano.
They have also designed a diabetes insulin
pump that can be worn under a discreet skin
coloured patch.
While
these devices are not yet in production, many diabetes
charities such as JDRF are lending their full support to the
project. It is hoped that within months using a diabetes
insulin pump and monitor can be a fashion statement
rather than an
embarrassment.
Author: Lisa
Janse
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