Mechanical System Design and Development of Smart Pillbox for a Therapeutic Robot-Based Ecosystem

Non-adherence to medication and medication administration errors are important and complex concerns. Each year, medication noncompliance is estimated to result in 125,000 fatalities and $100 billion in medical costs. Additionally, drug errors affect nearly 7 million people in the United States alone. Smart pill dispensers have the potential to significantly reduce both non-adherence and medication mistakes. This article describes the mechanical design of a smart, portable and scalable pillbox capable of working in tandem with a therapeutic robot in a system of wearable sensors and electronic monitors. The pillbox utilizes a linear actuator, servo motor, and vacuum-based suction mechanism as its primary operating components to store, retrieve and dispense pills of various sizes, shapes and surface finish. Design of Experiments (DOE) was used to determine the optimal design factors in a cost-and time- effective manner. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was utilized to determine the main effects and interaction effects. The design was optimized based on the results and further modifications were made to the design for 3D printability. The optimized design was validated by testing a functional prototype. The results demonstrate that the proposed pillbox can accommodate a wide variety of pills with high precision and consistency. The paper’s primary focus is on the pillbox’s mechanical design, though an overview of the pillbox’s electrical and electronic components was provided.Venkata Gireesh K. Menta, AbdulAziz Abutunis, Thomas Zurales,Dale Dowling, Nabiha Imtiaz, Arshia Khan,Mechanical System Design and Development of Smart Pillbox for a Therapeutic Robot-Based Ecosystem, J. Innovation Sciences and Sustainable Technologies, 2(4)(2022), 181-196. https://doie.org/10.0213/JISST.2023410369, E-Mail: vkmenta@d.umn.edu