Insulearner

Insulearner Web is a new online tool for computing insulin pump settings from diabetes data for people with Type 1 Diabetes. It uses a novel, data-driven approach for more personalized settings, leveraging first principles and modern machine learning techniques. It was created by Cameron Summers, who is a data scientist and dad of a child with Type 1 Diabetes. Insulearner Web is based on Cameron's baseline algorithm and open-source software with additional improvements.

Financial Support: Insulearner Web is free to use while supported by a grant through February 2025. Beyond this time financial support through donations may be set up if there is interest in continued availability of the tool. Please fill out a quick form or send a message to contact@insulearner.com to indicate interest.

Data Sources: Insulearner Web connects with Tidepool, so a Tidepool account with up-to-date data is required. To compute settings fill out the form below and see the FAQ for more information.

NOTE: This tool relies on carb counting for its calculations. You must count your carbs, or it will not work.

Benefits

  • Data-Driven
  • Personalized Settings
  • Easy and Free to Use
  • Fast to Compute

Insulearner Web

Instructions:

  • Step 1: Make sure your data in Tidepool is up to date.
  • Step 2: Make sure your carbs and insulin are as correct as possible in Tidepool in previous 30 or 60 days.
  • Step 3: Fill out the form below and press "Compute Settings".




FAQ

Feedback

How can I provide feedback to make Insulearner better?

Fill out a quick form or send a message to contact@insulearner.com.

Are there plans for future updates?

Yes, pending user feedback.

About Insulearner

Who developed this tool?

Insulearner and Insulearner Web was created by Cameron Summers, who is a data scientist and a dad of a child of Type 1 diabetes. When his son was diagnosed with T1D he saw a need for better algorithms for insulin pump settings. He has used Insulearner since 2021 for his son's insulin pump settings, which require changes many times each year as he grows.

What is Insulearner and Insulearner Web? Why does it exist?

Insulearner is an algorithm based on machine learning for determining insulin pump settings from diabetes data for people with Type 1 Diabetes. In the spirit of #WeAreNotWaiting, Cameron created open-source software for the original algorithm as explained here and here. Having seen how it is difficult for many people to interface with open-source software, Cameron created Insulearner Web in 2025 to provide an easier way to run the Insulearner algorithm, get feedback on its usefulness, and improve access in the community.

How does the Insulearner algorithm work?

The basic approach is outlined in this article. Additional details can be found in the open-source Insulearner software.

How does Insulearner compare with other insulin pump settings tools?

Most approaches for determining settings use weakly personalized models (e.g. "1700 rule") or are based on heuristics (e.g. Autotune), which can suffer from the counterintuitive relationship between insulin delivery and blood glucose data. Insulearner, instead, uses a data-driven, first principles approach with machine learning to get more personalized settings and avoid interpretive bias.

How accurate is the Insulearner algorithm?

The math underlying Insulearner shows that if your carbs and insulin are accurate, then the Insulearner algorithm should be fairly accurate. There are some caveats to this for practical use, such as changes over time in underlying biology (e.g. growth spurt in children) that affect insulin needs. This tool should be treated as an informational and a helpful "guide" to optimizing insulin pump settings. For a more in-depth discussion see Cameron's articles here and here.

Using Insulearner

Why do I have to count carbs to use Insulearner?

Carbohydrates account for the vast majority of variation in blood glucose. Determining appropriate insulin pump settings without carbohydrate information is like trying to determine the outcome of a basketball game without considering who is playing. The results will not be very accurate.

Does the Insulearner recommendations only apply to insulin pumps?

No. As long as the insulin and carb data are fairly accurate, the settings work for any insulin delivery mechanism, including manual daily injections (MDI).

Does Insulearner give hour by hour basal rate estimates?

No. The math computes a total daily basal requirement and spreads that evenly throughout the day. Biological metabolic systems are complex such that it's easy to overfit an hourly basal delivery model and create additional error.

What does the "confidence" mean in the results table?

This refers to the algorithm's confidence in the settings estimates. A lower confidence usually indicates an issue with the data and that the settings estimates may be compromised. Better carb counting, more complete data, or simply retrying later may improve the confidence.

Privacy and Data

How does Insulearner Web use my data?

If you consent in the form to share your results, Insulearner Web will anonymously store your settings results in order to improve the tool. If you consent in the form to being contacted to improve the tool, Insulearner Web will store your email. Insulearner Web does not store Tidepool passwords and does not share data.

Troubleshooting

The recommendations don't look right to me. What should I do?

Double-check your input values (e.g. height and weight use inches and pounds) and your Tidepool data in the analysis window (past 30 or 60 days), and consult your healthcare provider if you have concerns about accuracy.

Why am I getting an error message?

Ensure all fields are filled out correctly, your Tidepool data is up-to-date, and try again. If the issue persists, fill out the contact form.

Why do I get the message: "Settings unavailable: data noise error."?

Insulearner Web has protections in place if it detects an issue in the computed settings. Noise in the data is the typical cause, which can come from various sources such as imprecise carb counting or shifting biology (e.g. growth spurt in children). Ensure your Tidepool data is complete or try again on a later day with more recent data. If the issue persists, fill out the contact form.

Additional Information

What if my question isn't listed here?

Feel free to reach out via contact@insulearner.com or use the contact form.

Is this tool free?

Yes, Insulearner Web is currently free to use while supported by a grant through February 2025. Beyond this time financial support through donations may be set up if there is interest in continued availability of the tool. Please fill out a quick form or send a message to contact@insulearner.com to indicate interest.

Do I need an Insulearner Web account to compute settings?

No, currently there is no need to create an account.

Contact

Or send an email to contact@insulearner.com.