Students in NSTU NETI's Master’s program from the Faculty of Automation and Computer Engineering have invented a pill case with remote access for controlling medication intake. It will help to take care of elderly relatives and dementia patients and make sure that their medications are taken on time.
"The main difference between our dispenser and a standard pill organizer is that a set of pills can be blocked from other sections, and the precise timing of taking medications is tracked. Because this is a stand-alone device, all you need to do is connect it to a power source and the Internet. Then, click the link to get to the interface of the dispenser you're using. There, you can configure the necessary options, such as light or sound indication, intake schedule and time, as well as create or change a password and access point ", said Vladimir Shperling, the project's main developer.
According to him, the device has a rotary part with 24 sections where pills are placed clockwise and a section with a lid. With the lid closed, the patient can only see the indicator showing the location of a pill to be taken on time.
"The user, usually an elderly patient, will be able to take only the right medicine from the section". The control of the settings, as well as the intake, is still the responsibility of a doctor or relative. They will also receive notifications on their phones if the pill is not removed from the dispenser within an hour of the time limit. Initially, the project's goal was to help elderly people, particularly those with memory problems or patients who must take medications precisely on time. We began looking for a comparable device in Russia. Unfortunately, we found only dispensers with extremely limited functionality and no change in settings. That is, the dispenser could not be adjusted to an individual’s needs. This is extremely inconvenient, especially when a specific time for taking pills is set. Besides, even such a device is very expensive, around 80 thousand rubles." Vladimir Shperling added.
The NSTU NETI team is currently debugging the software for the dispenser's stable operation and planning the integration with the "smart home" system.