Intelligent medication dispenser for dementia patients: Hackathon Project
As part of the Bili Hackathon 2024, our team developed a smart home solution to support elderly dementia patients living independently. As people with dementia often forget important tasks like taking medication and keeping appointments, our goal was to create a device that improves their safety and quality of life.
Defining the problem
Dementia affects memory, causing people to forget medications and appointments, which can lead to serious health risks. Our solution focuses on creating an intelligent medication dispenser that reminds users to take their medications at scheduled times and alerts caregivers if doses are missed. This approach allows dementia patients to maintain their independence while ensuring their health is monitored.
Solution Overview
Our approach includes an intelligent pill dispenser integrated with a display and notifications. The device dispenses pills at the correct time and uses lights, sounds and vibrations to alert the user. If the medication isn’t taken, the system sends an alert to caregivers so they can intervene.
The system includes:
User reminders: Notifications until medication is taken.
Caregiver Alerts: Remote monitoring and alerts if medication is missed.
Customizable schedule: Caregiver can update medication schedule via app.
Technical model
We have used Arduino technology to create a basic prototype that demonstrates timed alerts and a potential pill dispenser. The product will require further development for full functionality, such as app integration and sound alerts.
From a business perspective, we propose to sell the product directly to elderly users and through healthcare providers, with revenue generated from sales and subscription-based monitoring services.
Through this project, we aim to improve the lives of dementia patients by enabling them to safely manage their medications while providing peace of mind to caregivers.