Student invents programmable pill dispenser for her grandmother

The programmable pill dispenser involves a smart card and a pill dispenser. The PillAid was developed during her final year studying design at London’s Brunel University. The main purpose is to help the elderly.

“It’s a programmable pill dispenser and medicated management system for elderly people, aimed to improve communication between all groups involved in the process — including GPs (general practitioners), hospital doctors, pharmacists, the patients themselves and caregivers,” she told CNN.

When the patient goes to the doctor, they receive a personalized smart card. The doctor has a smart card reader and loads any prescription information onto the card. The patient then takes the card to her pharmacy, who also has a smart card reader, and using information on the card, dispenses the prescribed medication into a pill dispenser.

The programmable pill dispenser has a tiny microchip built inside. The programmable pill dispenser will read information on the card when it is inserted into the automatic pill dispenser. It automatically alerts the patient when it is time to take their medication and informs them whether they need to take their pills with food or water.

“The patient’s GP can also have a look at the smart card to see whether they have been taking their medication at regular intervals,” the student said.

Adapted from: https://cnn.it/2GQXxC7