One of the most painful parts of monitoring blood glucose through traditional glucose monitors is the daily pin prick required. A new type of monitor is now being used in Europe, it’s not yet available in the US, which does away with the daily pin prick. The FreeStyle Libre uses a small sensor which is covered by a water resistant patch the size of a coin.

The sensor is inserted under the skin and remains there for 14 days. After one hour of being implanted in the body it will give glucose readings and monitor trends on a touch screen device that is brought close to the sensor. It is usually applied to the upper arm and the insertion process does not require any specialised training.

The touch screen device can scan the sensor through the clothes and is very unobtrusive. You take less than four seconds to perform the scan and a single ding sound lets you know that the process is over. Now you can read your glucose related data instantly. It’s accuracy is high and can be used for dosing insulin. This is one science project that will really make a difference in the way diabetics health care is handled in the future.