Method and apparatus for body fluid sampling and analyte sensing

1. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising:

a cartridge;

a penetrating member driver;

a plurality of penetrating members arranged in a radial configuration in an interior of the cartridge wherein sharpened distal tips of the penetrating members point radially outward;

wherein an active one of said penetrating members is configured to be operatively coupled to said penetrating member driver, said penetrating member driver moving said active one along a path out of a housing having a penetrating member exit, into said tissue site, stopping in said tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site;

a plurality of analyte detecting members positioned in the interior of the cartridge, wherein at least one of said analyte detecting members is positioned to receive the body fluid from a wound created by said active one of said penetrating members, wherein said analyte detecting members are not pierced by the active one of the penetrating members, and wherein said analyte detecting members are sized to receive no more than about 1.0 μL of the body fluid;

a processor coupled to the penetrating member driver for controlling the penetrating member velocity into the tissue site; and

a position sensor coupled to the processor and the penetrating member driver, the position sensor positioned to provide an indication of a position of the penetrating member during actuation, the position sensor coupled to a detection algorithm configured to provide feedback velocity information to the processor, wherein the processor modulates the penetrating member driver to control penetrating member velocity based on the feedback velocity information.