This educational teddy bear is built to help kids manage their Type 1 diabetes. As children play with Jerry the Bear and help him with his own disease, they learn more about their own.
Jerry is intended to be alongside youth who are newly diagnosed with TD1. Kids can give Jerry the diabetic bear insulin shots and blood sugar checks. They can also feed him by swiping a chip-integrated card and monitor his diet, which is displayed in a tummy-mounted screen called the Glucopal. Its inventors hope to have Jerry connect to a computer so children can continue learning.
Created by Sproutel, this toy recently had a successful Indiegogo campaign and is still seeking funds. Aaron Horowitz and Hannah Chung first developed the educational teddy bear through a project with Design for America and then expanded with a Dell Challenge grant.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Type 1 Diabetes Education
- The development of educational tools that help children learn and manage Type 1 diabetes at a young age.
- Interactive Technology for Health Education
- The incorporation of interactive technology, such as toys like Jerry the Bear, in health education for children.
- Crowdfunding for Novel Health Products
- Using crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo to fund innovative health products like Jerry the Bear.
Where This Applies
- Healthcare
- Developing educational tools like Jerry the Bear for patients with chronic illnesses like Type 1 diabetes.
- Education
- Integrating interactive technology like Jerry the Bear in health education curricula for schools and children's hospitals.
- Crowdfunding
- Offering a platform for innovative health companies like Sproutel to raise funds for their novel healthcare solutions.
