Can a Kid Invent a Better Diabetes Management Tool?
Diabetes is a pain to manage, and the tools needed—meters, test strips, lancets, and pumps—don’t make it much easier, Nancy Shute reports. But a contest whose entries are due today offers the chance to invent a killer app for diabetes management and pick up a cool $2,000. That’s the prize for kids under 18 in the 2009 Diabetes Mine Design Contest. Adults can snag $10,000. The contest grew out of Diabetes Mine blogger Amy Tenderich’s open letter to Steve Jobs. She asked the Apple mogul why his company could come up with such elegant hardware for listening to MP3s while 20 million diabetics are stuck with kludgy, ugly equipment. Why not have customizable ring tones? Thumb wheels? Wireless pumps? Submissions can be a two-minute YouTube video or an elevator pitch; here’s how to enter. If you’re a parent concerned about your child’s risk of diabetes, consider these 5 ways to prevent diabetes in your teenager. This new approach to managing diabetes may be helpful to those already diagnosed w
