Drug overdose is a prominent issue in our society today, However, accidental overdose is not as well known compared to its prevalence, particularly in young children due to their small bodies and incorrect doses measured by the caregivers. Notably, liquid medicine is difficult to precisely measure out, especially in the small volumes recommended for children. Allocating liquid medication also poses a significant challenge for individuals who have difficulty with fine motor skills. Not only can taking too much of a drug be harmful through increased oxidative stress and possibly even mortality, but taking too little of a prescribed medication can also be harmful if the individual is not getting the treatment they need.
As a result, the goal of our assistive device was to accurately dispense the user-specified dosage of liquid medicine. The main component our group had to design and implement was the temporary measurement and storage unit (TMSU), which would act as the initial container the liquid was pumped into in order to portion out the proper volume before it was poured out into a cup for the user. We initially brainstormed three forms of measurement for the TMSU, but we eventually decided to utilize a linear actuator that would move to the corresponding height of the user-specified volume. Once enough liquid was pumped into the TMSU to reach that height, electricity would be conducted through the wires at the bottom of the linear actuator, and the Arduino would be signaled to trigger the peristaltic pump to stop pumping liquid.
A picture of our prototype is below.
