The Challenge
NUU Enterprise began working with a medical device customer that wanted to improve care for its diabetic patients. The idea was to utilize a mobile device that would act as a controller to be used with an insulin delivery system, administering timely injections. The device would need to use Bluetooth and NFC technology to communicate with the patient’s insulin pump and provide meal time injections (BOLUS) as well as integrating with the customers CGM (continuous glucose monitor), acting as an “artificial pancreas”, for BASAL injections. Aside from meeting the customers specifications, this device would also need to be able to obtain FDA certification, while still being an affordable option to patients.
The Solution
In the first project, NUU Enterprise worked together with the customer to create an off the shelf solution. The objective was to prove that a stock smartphone could be used to control insulin injections for the customers’ wearable insulin pump for diabetics. NUU Enterprise deployed its A1+ Android Smartphone to be used as the controller, or personal diabetes manager, for the customer’s device. The NUU A1+ Android Smartphone was launched in 2016 and is still in production today and planned to be in production through 2025.
In the second project, NUU Enterprise deployed another device to work as the controller of the customer’s tubeless, wearable insulin delivery system. NUU Enterprise built a completely customized product to meet the hardware (screen size, memory, IP rating, etc.), software (Android OS) and certification requirements (FCC, CE, UKCA, PTCRB, Carrier Network Certifications, IEC, Etc.) set forth by the customer to meet all global requirements. This “build from scratch” approach and partnership allowed for a significant increase in the capabilities of the product to improve patient quality of life utilizing a closed loop system that integrates a patients continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with their insulin pump.
The Results
The mobile Android devices provided by NUU Enterprise have been instrumental in making diabetes management easier for patients and have been life-changing for hundreds of thousands of customers. With this, NUU Enterprises’ customer has become a leader in prescribed insulin management systems for diabetics, especially with children given the ability for guardians to monitor their health. Both devices are deployed on AT&T both domestically and internationally. The long-term production of NUU’s devices, the NUU A1+ and its custom built solution, is a significant accomplishment given the standard 12-month production cycle in the industry.
This relationship showcases how NUU’s tailored solutions and support helped the customer overcome complex challenges and achieve significant success in the medical device industry.