The future of... diabetic monitors

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>> According the Centers for Disease control, every year diabetics undergo 75,000 lower extremity amputations, a staggering statistic. The doctors say many of these surgeries could be prevented. In the future, monitoring devices could help the more than 23 million Americans suffering from diabetes take better care of their health while making fewer visits to the doctor.

Music Living with diabetes is a challenge. Monitoring methods help but can entail painful finger pricks and require users to proactively incorporate them into their schedule. If left unchecked, though, serious complications can arise.

>> The two big issues for someone with advanced diabetes related to their foot are nerve damage, essentially a lessened ability to feel a problem. A second thing is that they have reduced circulation. And so, that reduces the ability to heal when there is a problem. And, those two things put together can lead to a small cut turning into a big infection turning into an amputation.

>> One way diabetics can avoid amputations is by checking the bottom of their feet daily. But, if they're elderly or overweight, as many diabetics are, this can be difficult or even painful. A team at Frog Design in San Francisco solved that problem. Atlanta Based Inside Healthcare Solution tasked Frog with revamping a household staple.

>> A lot of people have a bathroom scale. Diabetics are encouraged to weigh themselves regularly as part of their healthcare. And it sort of earns the foot care and foot inspection a place in somebody's routine.

>> Frog eloquently combined existing technology to create the Insight Foot Care Scale which allows users to closely examine their feet reducing the possibility that a cut or sore goes untreated.

>> Once they step on the scale, as usual, and their given their weight, then the scale will beep.

Beeping And also fade on some white LEDs. And that serves as both an audio and a visual reminder to check the bottoms of their feet.

>> The scale's angled magnifying mirrors make it easier for diabetics to inspect not ignore their feet. There are other innovative ways to manage diabetes on the horizon. At the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center a chemistry professor is researching contact lenses imbedded with sensors that change color depending on the glucose level detected in tears meaning, you could check your blood sugar level just by looking in a mirror. And, at Texas A and M University and College Station, engineers and chemists have developed miniscule florescent beads that can be injected just beneath the skin. Shine a light on the area and the beads omit a particular color indicating the person's glucose level.

Music The future of diabetic monitors, taking some of the pain and hassle out of managing a devastating disease. With Smart Planet, I'm Sumi Das.

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==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====