For this multipart project, a group of 3 fellow bioengineering students, including myself, were to design a device that was able to dispense medication in a manner that enforced medication adherence.
This project utilized a motorized arm and multiple rotating containers that dispensed medication based on either a time-based manner or when an authorized person (such as a caretaker or guardian) allows medication dispersal via a mobile application.
After creating this device, we were then tasked with expounding upon it to create another device that ensured that the user actually took the medication and did not just dispose of the medication upon dispersal. Thus, SmartSense was born.
SmartSense is a pill that, after ingested, scans for the pill that the user should have taken via RFID. If the signal is detected, SmartMed will be notified and update both its database and the physician’s database accordingly.
This project took place over a span of 5 weeks. Because this was a class-based project, the design did not move beyond CAD renderings, however, our team did win 1st place in the class-wide competition for the best overall design, simplicity, and usability.
