Measuring Less To Feel More

Stress has a high impact on the successful management of diabetes. After field research, it appears that diabetic people are actually stressed by the device they must use to check their blood sugar level. Stress releases more sugar into the bloodstream, thus creating a vicious circle. 

The first proposal by designer Mickael Boulay was a glucose meter which used the position of a led light, to literally expresses how high/low the blood sugar level is. This more intuitive and sensitive language allows people with type II diabetes to relate easier to their blood sugar level while staying in touch with their own feeling.

The 'Measuring Less to Feel More' concept is further developed in close collaboration with Inreda Diabetic, within the development of the world's first Artificial Pancreas: a closed loop system able to regulate a person’s blood sugar level via bi-hormonal infusions. Waag supported Inreda with the design of the device with a special focus on the interaction between the device and its user.

This project was developed within the COMMIT research programme. COMMIT iwas a public-private research community solving grand challenges in information and communication science shaping tomorrow's society.