As an entry into this year's James Dyson awards, a young Kiwi inventor has created an application that monitors diabetes without the prick of a finger.
Inspired by the sensitivity of a dog's nose, the app is able to monitor blood sugar levels for type 1 diabetes in a non-invasive way.
The application's sensors work like the nose of a canine, detecting low and high blood sugar levels by measuring someone's breath and the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that naturally emit from the skin.
"My cousin Alex was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so I put two and two together and solved a problem," said Haydn Jack, who has entered the invention into the James Dyson awards.
Mr Jack said winning the international prize, for which entries have just closed, would help get the life-saving prototype to market.
But it may be a while before you can get your hands on one, as it needs to go through rigorous testing, which will take some time.
"We are working as fast as we can to get things running - it's just a matter of time," said Mr Jack.
Diabetes New Zealand president Deb Connor is praising the application, saying if it works it will transforms the lives of many.
"It will totally remove the need for parents or children to wake up at particular times of the night to perform blood tests and to check levels," said Ms Connor.
The James Dyson Award is an international design competition to celebrate the next generation of engineers and inventors.
Newshub.
