Electronic mosquito

e-Mosquito. © Gang Wang, University of Calgary.

Female mosquitoes are particularly adept blood-sucking pests, able to “bite” their victim undetected. No surprise then that bioengineers would try to mimic them to create a device able to monitor blood chemistry, for example for diabetics who must constantly watch their blood sugar. Since 2007, a team at the University of Calgary has been working on a device designed to automatically prick wearers at various times of the day, tapping into the capillaries. It recently revealed a new glucose-reading prototype, called e-Mosquito, which is worn on the wrist like a watch and pricks the wearer painlessly. However, the device is still bulky, and needs to be miniaturized before it can be comfortably worn on a daily basis.

⇨ IEEE Spectrum, “E-Mosquito drinks your blood to keep you healthy.”