An Automated Smart Medication Dispenser
By Wheatley, Ben; Sprott, Will; Navarro, Peter; Compo, Jesse; Rice, David A.; NSF 2008 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 168-169Publication Date: 2011
Description of a programmable device that dispenses medication at timed intervals. The device was developed by engineering students at Tulane University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering to ensure that patients with chronic pain comply with taking their medication at home. The design of the automated smart medication dispenser consists of a key locked, tamper resistant housing containing a programmable motor controller capable of providing timed dispensing of medication through an output chute. The principal components of the design are two circular metal plates between which a blister pack of individual pills is sandwiched. The multi-compartmented foil punch-out disc is filled in the pharmacy according to a physician’s prescription. The disc rotates one compartment for each programmed dispensing event, powered by a DC motor. A digital display shows timing and other information for the user. The operational history of the dispenser is stored in on-board memory and can be recalled to monitor compliance. The prototype provides a proof of concept for further development of the product, which includes adding reporting and reprogramming access through telephone dialup data exchange. Project cost for developing the prototype was 150 dollars.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2008/Chapter%209,%20Tulane%20University.pdf
ISBN: ISBN 1-931280-15-0
