The simulated pancreas isn't trying to hit a fixed glucose level, we'd add. Rather, it's trying to keep that level within an acceptable range based on a predictive model.

The trial results were promising. A 12-week test saw "significant" improvements, including reduced levels of a key hemoglobin and less time spent in a hypoglycemic state. And these were already disciplined patients who knew how to take care of themselves -- the algorithm was one step ahead of them. This doesn't mean that diabetics will never have to think about insulin again, and there's still plenty of testing and approvals necessary before an artificial pancreas like this can reach the market. If it does, though, it could reduce some of the stress in diabetics' lives.