My Story

1. I'm from Arlington MA
2. My parents both worked in STEM
3. Type one diabetes was always a given in my family
4. Creativity was always a given in my family
5. When I first started building my engineering skills I was lost

Where did I come from?

My Story

1. At first I tried to understand tech by taking tech apart
2. I met roadblocks from tech being designed to prevent disassembly and understanding
3. I discovered Relativity VR and open source while trying to build a VR headset
4. Open source became part of my world view

How Did I Become an Engineer?

My Story

1. After learning about engineering I reflected on insulin pumps
2. Insulin pumps use closed off practices used in closed source consumer tech like Iphones
3. Insulin pumps are someones organ, they have the right to understand it

Reflecting on Insulin pumps

Why I Care

1. Closed source insulin pumps make user pick an choose between features
2. Commercial insulin pumps prevent life changing features from being implemented due to requiring FDA approval
3. Closed source insulin pumps discourage the user from understanding a part of their body
4. The cheapest of used insulin pumps are still $500

Medtronic Reservoir

1. Medtronic discontinued the 1.8 ml reservoir
2. These reservoirs need to be frequently replaced
3. Medtronic now only makes 3.0 ml reservoirs
4. Many people still use pumps that require 1.8 ml reservoirs, especially pump hackers
5. Not manufacturing 1.8 ml reservoirs makes older pumps unusable for many people

Medtronic Reservoir Solution

1. 3.0 ml reservoirs can be cut down to fit 1.8 ml pumps
2. @Telani_132266, a user on a 3d model website made a 3d printed jig to cut down 3.0 ml reservoirs
3. This jig lets people still use their older pumps, despite required tech being discontinued

Preexisting Work

OpenAPS

Design of an open source ultra low cost insulin pump

OpenAPS is a project hacking insulin pumps with a Raspberry Pi to enable fully automated insulin dosing opposed to the hybrid algorithms used by current commercial pumps.

This was a project to create an ultra low cost insulin pump using open source 3d printed parts. While this project succeeded in making a working pump the design is very clunky and unusable for everyday applications.

Contacting Professionals

Mathew Payne

Mathew Payne is the creator of the "Design of an open source ultra low cost insulin pump" article and advised me to research pros and cons of preexisting insulin pumps to assemble a set of required features and things to avoid.

Denise Shanté Brown

Denise Shanté is a holistic design strategist focusing on designing communal spaces. She also lives with T1D, choosing not to use an insulin pump.

Pump Research

Researching Features of Preexisting Pumps

Following the advice of Mathew Payne, I researched the "core features" of preexisting pumps attracting users. I also put together a list of common mistakes made by pump designers to avoid.

Disassembling a Tandem insulin reservoir

After seeing the hidden insulin reservoirs of the Tandem insulin pumps I decided to take apart and document one. From this I learned how the unconventional design of the reservoir allows for a smaller footprint in the pump.

The Future

1. Survey diabetics to confirm feature list
2. Finalize list of features
3. Put together design proposals
4. Get feedback on the design proposals from diabetics
5. Finalize Design
6. Start technical prototyping