Scientists at Work

Three NDSU scientists are developing a wearable device to detect the onset of diabetes. Research also aims to help other industries, including workforce needs

By Andrew Weeks

Three professors at North Dakota State University, teaming with five other universities and partners in the private sector, are developing cutting-edge technology that seeks to improve health care needs of patients while also targeting the region’s workforce challenges.

The wearable device they are creating with help from more than

$1.4 million from the National Science Foundation will predict the onset of diabetes. And because it includes using artificial intelligence and research from other disciplines – 3D printing, nanotechnology and sensor development, among them – it will open the doors to AI-integrated curricula in schools and certificate programs for industry professionals.

“This project will enable a transformational advancement in the capabilities of AI in edge devices by developing new algorithms, hardware, sensors and devices,” Dr. Danling Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, one of the instructors awarded the funding, said in a statement announcing the project. “Multiple patents and intellectual property are expected from this effort and our team will work with existing industry partners or spinoff small businesses for commercialization.”

The smart device – likely similar to a wristwatch – will monitor a patient’s breath and give results without the need of a doctor’s interpretation.

In a follow-up interview with Prairie Business, Wang said the breath analyzer is not a new concept. “But the breath analyzer for the diabetes application, that’s new. … The concept of the AI in the sensor device, that’s another new technology we will be developing.”

The other scientists are Drs. Jen Li, professor of computer science, and Kristine Steffen, professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

The device will give the wearer real-time diagnosis.

“There are lots of things AI can do. We tried to simplify it – we’re going to use a very simple device,” Wang said. “We’ll provide the user a very simple interface, like a smartwatch, but easier than that so they can easily see their personal data, like blood glucose levels and heartbeats, and we can make some simple predictions to help them understand if they’re in a normal range or upper range and when to see a doctor.”

The project builds upon one that Wang has been involved with for a number of years.

“I want to add something about the novelty of this project,” said Li. “There are lots of apps and devices for diabetes monitoring and recommendations. For ours, we don’t need the support of a cloud right now to support intelligence. We collect data at the user side and then transport the data to a centralized location where it can be analyzed and processed, so AI can be implemented.

“For our project, the novelty is we push the AI to the edge device where it can protect users’ privacy without pushing their data to a third party. Also, they can get immediate, personalized results.” (Edge, meaning computing that ensures processing is geographically or physically closer to the end-user.)

Many local companies have shown support for the project, the scientists said, and noted the research will be a boon to industries and businesses.

“The workforce training program of this project will provide high-quality potential employees for the community, and the pro - continued on page 15