Smart Pill Dispenser An Arduino-Based Device To Prevent Drug Overdose

Abstract

According to the CDC, there were 91,799 drug overdose deaths in 2020 in the United States [2]. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have had depression and other mental illnesses that often lead to suicide, and the number of deaths due to drug overdose has increased. There is also a high chance of the elderly accidentally consuming more pills than they are prescribed. So, I designed and created a new pill dispenser that can prevent drug overdoses. The Smart Pill Dispenser is an Arduino-based pill dispenser that can prevent drug overdoses. My engineering goals are to have a mechanism that can dispense pills at required intervals, to sense and alert if someone is trying to break in, to control everything easily, and to keep costs low (around $50 maximum). The first goal was addressed with a servo motor mechanism and the second was completed with a vibration sensor. The third goal was achieved by making an app. The cost turned out to be around $25, which is half of my original design goal. The servo motor mechanism had a 90% accuracy and the vibration sensor and app had 100% accuracy. Compared to other options available in the market currently, mine is low-cost and efficient.