Goals for Blood Glucose Meter Redesign

-Screen with a backlight A screen with a backlight would make seeing the screen of the meter much more possible. The backlight on some laptop keyboards and on iPod mp3 players are modern world examples of backlights. In situations where sufficient lighting is not applicable, a backlight screen would allow the use of the meter. The added definition from the contrast between the darker symbols and the illuminated screen would allow elderly people and people with poor eyesight to precisely see the symbols. The backlight would, however, consume more energy. The backlight on an iPod consumes about 100mA, which is about half of the energy consumption of the entirety of the iPod when it is on. If a backlight is added to a glucose meter, and the energy consumption doubles as the iPods does, the amount of tests on average will be reduced from 2000 tests to 1000 tests. This will reduce the amount of days that a battery can be used for from 400 days to 200. As the cost of a battery is only around $3 for a 3V coin lithium battery, this cost increase in the long run will be worth the cost.

-Size and shape of the meter The design of the meter influences where a meter can be possibly carried. A smaller design allows a meter to be simply inserted into a pocket and carried around. The height and width of a meter must still be maintained in order to allow people with poor vision to see the screen, but the depth of the meter can be improved upon. A 3.7 height and a 2.1 width are the current dimensions, but the depth is almost an entire inch at .9. If we can reduce the depth to .5, the meter will cause less of a protrusion in the pocket, thus making carrying it around much more comfortable for the user. The rounded design that is attributed to the current meter could cause problems with people who are unable to grip an object well, so a more rectangular meter would allow a persons hand to come into more contact with the meter, allowing for an easier grip. Rounded corners will allow for a comfortable grip as well.

-Cost of the strip The average diabetic goes through 5 test strips a day; one after they wake, one after each meal, and one before they go to bed. The test strips come in packages of 50/100, and on average will be used up in 10/20 days. A package of 50 strips averages at a cost of $54, and this more than doubles for a package of 100 strips, which is sold for $113. This yields a yearly cost of

anywhere from $1900-$2100. If we can manage to reduce the cost of these strips by 25%, this could save a user hundreds of dollars a year.

-Reloading strips Common lancet kits contain around 6 lancets per application of the pen. For every use, this will cause one test strip to me consumed. If we can duplicate the idea of having multiple strips dispense without having to keep replacing them, the time for a person to test their blood glucose levels can be reduced. We would have a stack of strips that could be inserted into a slot in the meter, and then at the press of a button which would cause a system of wheels to turn, dispensing a meter. After the meter is dispensed, a metal piece with a spring attached would apply constant pressure on the remaining strips, compressing them against the bottom to avoid jamming and maximize space. Six of these strips would allow a person to conveniently change the lancet kit at the same time as the test strip package.