1. Device Testing Nearly one in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes or pre-diabetes in their lifetime. With this diagnosis brings an increased risk of heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, amputations, and death, especially when a patient’s glucose levels are not sufficiently measured and maintained. Glucose meters have therefore become essential management devices used by these individuals on a daily basis. Typical testing is a lengthy procedure with portions requiring high dexterity and visual acuity, yet amongst the 10 million elderly diabetic patients, approximately 50% suffer from arthritis and almost 45% also suffer from diabetic retinopathy. 1 GlucoVision proposes an augmentation of current devices, by designing an add-on to complement existing meters. We seek to design a fully automated, one-step blood measurement process that is simple and requires minimal dexterity, increasing patient compliance and giving back more time to our users. Lancet housing area Slider for automated glucose meter movement To determine the necessary volume of extracted blood sample to achieve a 100% success rate (n=5) of our linear slider mechanism, pre-measured volumes of glucose meter testing solution were placed on the patient’s finger. The U-bolt blood extraction mechanism was calibrated using the following testing protocol: Three individuals were lanced and the volume of blood extracted was recorded for every 0.2 psi increment of applied pressure. The optimal range of pressure applied (*) via the U-bolt was determined to be from 2.0 – 2.3 psi. Patient discomfort was noted for pressure values > 2.5 psi. 1 American Diabetes Association: All About Diabetes. 2 Arduino 1 American Diabetes Association: All About Diabetes. 2 Arduino Semi-Automated Glucose Testing: Design Motivation Prototype Senior Design 2009 Automated pressure applicator Housing for motors underneath We provide a simpler and more automated procedure for diabetic patients to test their blood glucose levels. The pressure applicator, conveniently designed to wrap around your finger, both gently holds your finger in place and applies pressure to squeeze out the required blood volume. Slider for glucose meter and constriction of U-bolt both easily controlled with a user friendly button, requiring minimal effort from user The Ascensia Contour® glucose meter was chosen for use with our prototype because of the small volume of blood required for a reading. Furthermore, the strips conveniently had their capillary tubes situated at the end. The compact nature of this meter also contributed to our decision. In creating a device to accommodate the needs of the visually and dexterity impaired, we incorporated the following design specifications: Finger and hand support and stability Handles multiple lances and strips Requires minimal dexterity to operate Requires minimal maintenance Fully automated and complements a current glucose meter well Implementation of a more patient-friendly pressure applicator, with user-friendly quantitative controls Implementation of sensors to automate the process further (fingertip detection, volumetric detection of blood, etc.) Multiple strips loading capability Multiple lances loading capability Enhance compatibility as to complement other meter types Clinical trials in partnership with the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center Keith Yeager, Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Professor Christopher Jacobs, Professor Elizabeth Hillman, Brenda Chen, Timothy Martens, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University BME Department Future Work Acknowledgments References Design Specs The Arduino Decimila 2 was used to control the timing of the motors in activating the slider and pressure applicator.