On the first day of SXSW in Austin this year, Eris Stassi gave a presentation on the future of system interaction.  During this presentation, she briefly touched on a new technology  that will revolutionize the way Diabetes is managed.

This innovation comes in the form of contact lenses. Created by Jin Zhang, a Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor at the University of Western Ontario, these hydrogel based contact lenses contain nanoparticles for the monitoring of glucose levels.  This new technology allows the contact lens to change color based on rising and falling glucose levels detected through the patient’s tears, alerting them when things go awry.  These new lenses will virtually eliminate the need for blood testing, and represent the first non-invasive Diabetes management system.

So far, data related to the reliability and accuracy of this new metering system has yet to be released.  Kerri Morrone Sparling has written a detailed article on how important accuracy is to patients on her blog, six until me, which shows us how crucial these factors will be to mainstream adoption. Assuming tests go well, we can expect further research into conditions like Glycogen Storage Disease.

As of December, Zhang received a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to continue research into the hydrogel materials.  These materials also have other health related uses, such as in food packaging, where they could be used to check for spoilage.

Tags: Diabetes Management, Innovative Technology, Medical Technology