When CEO of Modz, Vesa Kemppainen scanned the blood glucose meter market, all he saw was a sea of grey. "All the products and the tech [for these meters] looked grey and unappealing," notes Kemppainen to WIRED.co.uk. "People who had these devices were embarrassed to show anyone else."
So Kemppainen and his team at the Finland based health technology company took action. After talking with children and healthcare specialists, they came up with Modz -- the world's first motivational, Angry Birds themed blood glucose meter, which launches today in the UK and Europe.
The UK alone has the world's fifth highest rate of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children aged up to 14, with over 29,000 children who have T1D. But Modz aims to make life easier for children with diabetes, and for their parents with their colourful, sleek devices.
The device, which can be tucked in a child's pocket, or worn around their neck, motivates children to take control of their health by reminding them to test their blood glucose levels. The child's meal times can be stored in the meter's memory, along with reminders to test their blood glucose levels before and after meals.
Modz also gamifies the experience of living with diabetes by featuring a touchscreen interface full of Rovio's Angry Birds characters, whose colours correspond to the child's blood glucose levels. The device features four levels, and users are awarded points for good test results, which allow them to progress up the levels. "The Angry Birds correspond to different moods," explains Kemppainen. "When a child measures their blood glucose, the feedback is shown to you as a different colour Angry Bird.
Children learn to associate each colour with what they need to do."
As well as alleviating the monotonous routine of taking blood glucose measurements, Modz relieves the stress on parents. The device informs parents of their children's health in real time through text messages, and as all the results are stored on a secure cloud service, the family remains constantly connected with their healthcare teams.
The device, says Kemppainen, gives back freedom and mobility to both children and their parents. "With Modz, parents receive a message on their phone every time their child takes a measurement." Previously, parents may have been too afraid to let their children go on camping excursions or trips by themselves, as they might forget to monitor their blood glucose levels. However, as Modz lets parents keep up-to-date with their child's health wirelessly, Kemppainen asserts that solo expeditions are now a possibility for children. "It brings a whole new way of coping with diabetes," asserts Kemppainen. "Parents can stop nagging their children, and children will know when they need to do something as their device will remind them."
While Modz helps motivate children to actively take control of their healthcare and to feel independent, Kemppainen says that it also helps debunk the social stigma associated with diabetes. "Children can be proud of this device. Instead of being a grey device, it's appealing and it lowers the barriers socially as you can explain it to your friends," he says. "To be socially accepted is a positive thing for someone with diabetes."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
