Did you know? In India, about 5% of the population suffers from diabetes which means – one out of every twenty individuals you meet is affected by diabetes mellitus. A report published by NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) states that by 2030 diabetes mellitus may affect up to 79.4 million people in India.
Most people you know with diabetes mellitus, need to constantly monitor their blood glucose level and have no viable alternative (at least in India) other than the traditional invasive process which involves pricking of the human skin again-and-again. This is a painful experience – especially for those who are at high-risk and have to get their blood glucose checked for up to 10 times a day. Continuous pricking also leaves the skin with lumps behind.
On the other hand – if left unchecked, it leads to different vascular complications thereby severely affecting vital organs of the human body which may prove to be fatal.
Final year students of electronics and communication engineering who were guided at CIIRC™ (Centre for Incubation, Innovation, Research and Consultancy), Jyothy Institute of Technology, Bengaluru having understood the facts and challenges – decided to take up ‘Diabetic Monitoring’ as their final year project. Consulting doctors and experts further reinforced the need to develop a non-invasive method to monitor the glucose level.
The idea revolves around an intelligent mobile care system with alert mechanism to assist diabetic patient keep watch on blood sugar, in a non-invasive way through a mobile app. The mobile app is connected to a flexible wearable clip that transmits data to the mobile device.
The students started the test with a regular clothing clip that worked but due to its limitations was unable to give the desired results on subsequent use.
Few months into the project and having gone through a lot of iterations on the hardware, the students now required a more versatile, flexible, wearable hardware device that did not wear out with repeated use – something that the ABS thermoplastic could deliver. That is when the students were guided by the faculty to consult the team at Altem Technologies for an alternative solution.
The team at Altem Technologies was impressed with the idea and went out of its way to help the students in designing & developing the CAD Model, testing & validating the design and finally 3D printing the clip in ABS thermoplastic material after understanding the application, all in a short span of time. The students have since, presented their project at various state level exhibitions and it has been received well. The 3D printed clip particularly caught many eyes and received appreciation.
We thank Altem Technologies for supporting the students and playing a pivotal role in the success of the project.
