Race car driver, Charlie Kimball has Type I Diabetes, but he doesn’t let it stop him. Diabetes is something that could cause problems while he is racing but not with the latest technology.
In his car race car, he wears a wireless glucose sensor monitor. His blood sugar level is monitored by the pit crew and he can see his blood sugar levels on the steering wheel next to the RPM.
“Managing my diabetes at over 200 mph has its challenges but my pit crew is there for me watching my blood sugar,” said Kimball.
Kimball says he has support in the Diabetes community. He also says with the support of technology and the right drugs, he can still live his dreams even with Diabetes.
He has two drink bottles in the car, water for hydration and orange juice for blood sugar. He can sip the orange juice through a tube in his helmet.
On the track, Kimball’s doctor and crew watch his blood glucose levels through a wireless monitoring system attached to his arm. One pit crew member monitors the car functions and the glucose levels.
Kimball and his crew rigorously prepare before each race to ensure that his body runs smoothly.
Novo Nordisk has sponsored Charlie Kimball since he joined INDYCAR in the 2009 season. Diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, Kimball uses the Novo Nordisk insulin Levemir and NovoLog and a pre-filled insulin pen device called FlexPen .
The disclaimer for Novolog states “be careful while driving a car or operating machinery.”
In current commercially available cars, glucose monitoring is in the future. However, the new Apple Watch can work with a wearable patch continuous glucose monitor. The Apple Watch app by medical products maker DexCom, tracks and displays glucose levels on the watch in the form of a graph.
The glucose graph will be very difficult to see with eyes on the road, however, it may be easy to replicate on the iPhone or through CarPlay or through car compatible apps.
The continuous tracking of glucose levels is vital for diabetics, especially those with Type 1 diabetes.
Another health monitor feature of cars is the heart monitor seat. Ford is working on Ford heart monitor seat that has special embedded sensors that detect electrical impulses generated by the heart and engage self-driving features in the case of a heart attack.
Verizon offers live video streaming of car racing from inside the cars.