Automated Medication Dispensing Device

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Automated Medication Dispensing Device
RERC on Accessible Medical Instrumentation
Competition 2005-2006

• Team 6
• Eva Marie Suarez
• Kevin Villani
• Jacquelyn Masse

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Objectives

• Client Needs
• Existing devices and Patents
• Device features
• Design
• Timeline
• Budget

3
Client Needs

• Large number of medications
• Poor eyesight
• Lack of fine motor control
• Limited mobility
• Segmentation

4
Products Currently Available
Product Name Image PRO CON
MedTime Timer with alarm Portable 232.95 Difficult loading No cutting device No security feature
MD2 - Timer with alarm Gives medication instructions Calls caretaker if medication not dispensed or refill is needed Dispenses in small container No cutting device No security feature 919.95 plus 38.95 per month
CompuMed - Timer with alarm - Gives medication instructions - Minimal security - Tracks number of missed doses Pills deposited into drawer Only dispenses up to 4 times per day Medicine cassette needs to be changed weekly No cutting device 1045.00
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Patents

• Medication Dispenser for Dispensing Flat Dosage
  Forms (6,527,138)
• Tamper Resistant Programmable Medicine Dispenser
  (6,163,736)
• Timed Medicine Dispenser (4,207,992)
• Medicine Dispenser (5,947,329)
• Medicine Dispensing Device (5,454,793)
• Gravity Feeding Pill Medicine Dispenser
  (4,638,923)

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General Themes

• Pills must be pre-separated (time consuming
  loading process)
• Accuracy is not verified frequently
• No cutting device
• Difficult to extract dispensed medication from
  apparatus
• Costly

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Device features

• Automatically Cuts Pills
• No Hard-To-Read Labels
• Keeps Pills Organized
• Alarm Reminder
• Automatically Dispenses Dosage

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Operation

• Basic overview

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Basic Elements

• Device components
• Case
• Robotic arm with vacuum assembly
• Cutter assembly
• Storage assembly
• Data flow
• User input

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Case
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Case (inside)
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Layout of All Components
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Robotic Arm
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Robotic Arm Action
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Cutter Assembly Swing Arm Action
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Cutter Assembly Blade Action
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Storage Assembly
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Data Flow
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User Input

• User interface
• PDA
• Keyboard
• Barcode Scanner
• Functions
• Add pills
• Compartment
• of pills
• Expiration date
• Set dosage
• pills per dose
• Times to take

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Timeline
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Budget
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• Back-Up Slides

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• MedTime The Medtime product is essentially a
  rotating disk that contains several compartments
  in which the pills are separated into to create
  the appropriate dosage. The MedTime device also
  contains a timer and an alarm which can be
  programmed to sound when the medication must be
  taken. Once this alarm goes off, the disk rotates
  to reveal the next dosage to be taken. The client
  then turns the product over so the pills fall
  into his/her hand. If a dosage is missed then the
  disk will continue to rotate so that the next
  dosage becomes available. The advantage of this
  device is that it is portable, so it can be taken
  with the client at all times. This product is
  also one of the least expensive medication
  dispensing devices at 232.95. The disadvantages
  of this product are its time consuming loading
  requirement, the lack of a cutting device, and
  minimal security. To load the device all the
  dosages must be pre-separated which will require
  the effort of a caretaker in most cases. The
  dispensing mechanism of the device is also
  inadequate for many elderly, since it requires
  one to tip the device over to expel the dosage.
  Not only is the method of dispensing not safe if
  there are children present since it is accessible
  to anyone, but it also provides the opportunity
  for the medication to fall on the ground easily.
  Those in a wheelchair would not be able to pick
  up the medication if it fell on the ground as
  well as those with poor vision.
• MD2 The MD2 is a more sophisticated medication
  dispensing device than the MedTime. This product
  contains the same feature of a timed dispensing
  mechanism with an alarm to alert the client. The
  dosage is expelled in a small plastic container
  once the release button is pushed by the user
  which also turns off the alarm. When a dosage is
  released any medication instructions that was
  programmed into the device is then given orally,
  such as take with food. If a dosage is missed
  the device can call up to four individuals to
  alert them that a dose was not taken. The
  advantages of this device is that it alerts
  another individual of a missed dose rather than
  moving onto the next one, so the probability of a
  dosage not being taken is relatively small.
  Clients that forget to take their medication are
  also likely to forget the instructions or each
  medication, an error in consumption of the pills
  is prevented with this device via the oral
  instructions. The disadvantage of this product is
  mainly its cost. The dispenser costs 919.95 plus
  an additional 38.95 per month for the calling
  feature. The product also does not have a cutter
  and has minimal security since the dispensing of
  the medication is controlled by the push of a
  button, which can be done by any individual in
  the household including small children.
  Dispensing the dosage in a small container also
  requires the assistance of a caretaker to
  prepare. Opening this container once dispensed
  may also prove difficult for some individuals
  with limited mobility and poor vision.
• CompuMed The CompuMed shares some similarities
  with both the MedTime and the MD2. This device
  alerts the user that a dosage needs to be taken
  via an alarm. The dosage is deposited into a
  small drawer located on the front of the device.
  If a dosage is missed the drawer is withdrawn and
  the dosage is sent to another compartment. The
  machine keeps track of how many doses were missed
  but does not alert any caretaker as the MD2 does.
  It will also provide the medication instructions
  on the LCD screen when a dosage is dispensed as
  the MD2. The CompuMed has a higher level of
  security than the other two devices. Although the
  dosage is deposited into a drawer where others
  can access it, the rest of the medication stored
  in the product is locked inside with a key. This
  key is also needed to change the programming of
  the device and thus prevents any tampering that
  may otherwise occur. The main advantages of this
  device are its enhanced security, and lower cost
  when compared to the MD2. The CompuMed costs
  approximately 1045.00, but does not have any
  additional monthly fees. The disadvantage of this
  product is that the medication is loaded into
  cartridges which is a time consuming process and
  limits the amount of medication that can
  dispensed. The cartridges need to be changed
  weekly and are only capable of dispensing up to
  four dosages per day. This device also lacks a
  cutting mechanism and dispenses the medication
  into a drawer which may be difficult to extract
  from the small drawer for some individuals.

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Patents

• Medication Dispenser for Dispensing Flat Dosage
  Forms (6,527,138) This device is designed
  specifically for flat mediations that come on a
  roll similar to that of a stamp roll. The device
  then advances the roll when the next medication
  needs to be taken. The dispensing mechanism can
  be either manual activated, mechanical or
  automated. The machine also has the capability to
  record the number of doses dispensed.
• Tamper Resistant Programmable Medicine Dispenser
  (6,163,736) This device prevents unauthorized
  movement of the indexing assembler to prevent
  untimely access to medications. It is a small and
  portable product, but requires the medications to
  be separated into the appropriate dosages
  beforehand.
• Medicine Dispenser (5,947,329) This product also
  provides a security feature against unauthorized
  access to the medication by storing the
  medication in sealed containers that require
  deliberate steps to get the medication dispensed.
  This device is completely mechanical and includes
  a counter to track the dosages dispensed.
• Timed Medicine Dispenser (4,207,992) As the
  title suggests, this a timed dispenser which
  alerts the patient when the medication needs to
  be taken. The pills need to be pre-separated into
  the correct dosages as with several of the other
  devices.
• Medicine Dispensing Device (5,454,793) This
  device is made specifically for liquid
  medications. It dispenses metered quantities from
  an ampoule and can easily return to its original
  state.
• Gravity Feeding Pill Medicine Dispenser
  (4,638,923) This is the only device that
  dispenses the medication from the container
  provided by the pharmacy. It uses gravity to
  release the pills from the container. It is
  economical and easy to use, but does not contain
  a system to verify that the pills were extracted
  from the container correctly.

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Design One
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Design One Cutter
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Design One Rejection Assembly
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Design Two
Cutter
keypad
Robotic Arm
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Design Two Robotic Arm
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Design Three Robotic Arm
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Vacuum Fan Requirements
P F/A F mg A pr2 Therefore, P mg/
pr2 (Equations)
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Secondary Stage
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Secondary Stage
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Pathway of Pill
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Specifications
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References
e-pill Medication Reminders, Wellesley, MA,
2005. http//www.epill.com Lynxmotion LLC.,
Pekin, IL, 2004. http//www.lynxmotion.com Nation
al Instruments Corporation, Austin, TX,
2005. http//www.ni.com Parallax Inc., Rocklin,
California, 2002-2004. http//www.parallax.com