Enchanted Objects + Non Invasive Diagnostics Pt1
Caress Non-Invasive Diagnostic Orb
Non-invasive self-diagnostic technologies are on the rise and represent a significant opportunity to positively impact the experience of managing chronic diseases like diabetes, encouraging greater adherence to diagnostics/treatment regimes; while also enabling a greater levels of education, awareness, and accessibility to people seeking to engage in more informed, healthier, hands-on preventative lifestyles.
A couple years ago a small team of friends including Andrew Lockhart, Kengwei Lu, Richard Thomas and myself decided to explore and submit a self-diagnostic concept to the annual Diabetes Mine Design Competition that incorporated non-invasive electromagnetic technology capable of measuring blood glucose levels. We were very excited to propose an idea (described below) that focused on improving, externalizing, and socializing the diagnostic process by making it more friendly, open, accessible and acceptable.
Caress
Caress Non-Invasive Diagnostic Orb
Often upon diagnosis of diabetes, people will retreat and internalize their experience. The nature of current glucose meter technology can exacerbate this issue by forcing people to navigate this new landscape by themselves, which in addition to increasing feelings of isolation, can put a strain on relationships with concerned family and loved ones.
Caress is an “enchanted object“, a diagnostic platform that combines physical hardware with web and mobile services to provide people living with (and without) diabetes a simple set of tools and services to monitor and track their blood sugar levels while providing the opportunity to socialize their experience and educate others. By utilizing existing non invasive electromagnetic technology developed at Baylor University and/or a number of other research centers, users will be able to accurately measure their glucose levels simply by touching or caressing the device, transitioning the blood glucose readings from a painful and awkward, private experience to one that is more natural, compelling and habit forming.
Caress Non-Invasive Diagnostic Platform
For tracking purposes Caress also employs hand vein scanning technology to identify and differentiate between users in order to allow friends, coworkers and family members to participate in the experience and see their blood glucose levels, promoting better understanding and removing some of the isolation that many people living with diabetes feel. Hand vein scanning was decided upon over fingerprint and other forms of biometrics as it is more accurate and is a more intuitive form of interaction when considering the intended form and function of the platform.
Caress - personal diagnostic and management platform web mock
Each Caress device will be networked with existing bluetooth, cellular and/or WIFI capabilities, allowing readings to be transmitted to the web services component of the platform through home or office computers or mobile devices. Users will be able to access their personal metrics around blood sugar levels etc through their computers or mobile devices, with the opportunity to receive mobile alerts when it is time to take a reading. Over time, the aggregated data will help users and their health care providers understand patterns of behavior and identify the optimal approaches to managing their health.
Caress Non-Invasive Diagnostic Smart Phone "Skin"
