IC 201P – Design Practicum

MedPods

Pushkar Patel (B20121) Payal K Sah (B20220)

Madhur Jajoo (B20211) Amit Maindola (B20079)
Himakshi Gupta (B20104) Bhagirath Ram (B20034)

Under the supervision of

Siddhartha Sarma, SCEE, siddhartha@iitmandi.ac.in
Amit Balkrishna Pawar, SCS, amitpawar@iitmandi.ac.in

Indian Institute of Technology Mandi

1
 Acknowledgements

We hereby acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Siddhartha Sarma and Dr. Amit
Balkrishna Pawar in making this project, without their constant motivation and
constructive feedback this project would be hard to imagine. We would like to give
special thanks to Mr. Rakesh Kumar, without his support the fabrication of design
would not have been possible. We would also like to thank the robotronics club of
IIT Mandi for providing guidance and ideas related to the implementation of the
project. Finally, we express our gratitude to our mentors for guiding us and always
being there, and to IIT Mandi for providing such a wonderful opportunity to bring
our imaginations to reality and funding us.

2
 Abstract

This project aims at addressing the problem that people often forget to take their
medicines on time, and elderly patients or kids who need someone to supervise
them while taking medicine. Solution is a product that reminds the user to take
medicine on time and also indicates which medicine to take.
First, some supervising person will be able to fill the weekly time-table specific to
the patient and then place the medicines in their desired slots as mentioned in the
product. The product would then be turned on and synced once using the mobile
application. A built-in clock in the box would remind the user to take the medicine
on time by ringing the alarm for the particular day and slot and indicating which
medicine to take.
This would highly benefit the group of people who tend to forget to take their
medication on time. A portable version of the same can be implemented with a
rechargeable battery that can hold medicines for the day, it would serve the needs
of people who travel frequently.

3
 Contents
Ref Title Page No.
1 Chapter 1: Introduction 1
2 Chapter 2: Market Research 3
3 Chapter 3: Conceptual Design 5
4 Chapter 4: Embodiment and Detailed Design 7
5 Chapter 5: Fabrication and Assembly 9
6 References 15
7 Appendix 1 17

4
 List of Figures

Figure Title Page No.

1. Percentage of people who forget to take medicine on time 1
2. Crown market Product already available in market 3

3. Med-Q digital pill box already available in market 3

4. Mind map of choosing features for the product. 5

5. Detailed design of the product. 7
6. The Design of the product 10

7. Snapshot of the Mobile application 11

8. Snapshot of the Whole product 11

9. Snapshot of the Working Prototype 12

5
 List of Tables

Table Title Page No.

1. Comparison with existing market products. 4
2. Bill Of Material 9
3. Chart of what workflow 13
4. Chart of suggested optimal workflow 13

6
 Abbreviations

Abbreviation Definition
NTP Network Time Protocol
ESP32. ESP 32 Microcontroller
PZ Piezoelectric
mux Multiplex
IST Indian Standard Time
HDMR High Density High Moisture Resistance
LiPo Lithium Polymer

7
 Chapter 1

Introduction
In today’s increasingly busy and ignorant world, not taking medicines on
time or taking the wrong medicine has become a matter of serious concern.
Through research [1], it was found that approximately 67% of people tend to
forget to take their medicine on time or end up taking the wrong one. This is
a phenomenon known as “medication non-adherence” (MNA) [2] and it is
the cause of a huge amount of unnecessary physical and emotional suffering,
financial loss, and premature deaths that cost too many people precious time
that they could have with their loved ones.Medication adherence saves
money too. One researcher found that every 10% improvement in
medication adherence reduces healthcare costs by up to 29% [3].
Not just this, a huge number of 2.2 billion people in this world suffer from
vision impairment or low vision [4] which makes it increasingly challenging
for them to read the name of the medicine and take out the right one from
many medicines kept in the medicine box.

Figure 1: Percentage of people who forget to take medicine on time [5]

1
 Considering the severity of the problem, our team came up with Medpods. It is a
smart medicine box which can be remotely operated by a mobile application. The
box has 21 cabinets( 3 times a day for a week) for medicines. User can set the date
and time of the medicine on the mobile application and the box will remind the
user of taking the medicine by lighting up that particular medicine cabinet and
alarming him/her so that the user does not have to read the medicine and can
conveniently take the right medicine on time.

2
 Chapter 2

Market Research
There are a few existing indirect competitor products in the market.
1. Crownmart weekly pill organizer [6]

Figure2: Crown market Product already available in market

This is divided into 21 cabinets for easy access of medicines. But this neither
lightens up that particular cabinet nor has an alarm system for reminding the
user. It is also not smartly operated by a mobile application unlike medpods.
2. MED-Q Digital Pill Box [7]

Figure3 : Med-Q digital pill box already available in market

3
 This too is divided into cabinets and has an alarm system for the user. But
the differentiation comes into the mobile application. It is not smartly
connected to the application and hence cant be remotely operated. The price
of this product is also approximately thrice as of ours making it unaffordable
for most of the Indian market.
There are few others also, but none of them qualify as our direct competitors
in terms of service as well as price point.
Comparison with existing market products-

Product Mobile Alarm Pill Price

Application Container
Crowmart No No Yes ₹599
Weekly Pill
Organizer
MedQ No Yes Yes ₹10,007
Digital Pill
box
MedPods Yes Yes Yes ₹5,000*
approximately
Table 1: Comparison with existing market products.
1

●
1
* The box costs approximately ₹2000, the electronic hardware (microcontroller, wires, LED, etc) costs
about ₹1000, the assembling cost about ₹1000 and the development of mobile application costs about
₹1000. When the product is to be made on a larger scale it will cost roughly about ₹3500.

4
 Chapter 3

Conceptual Design
1. After pondering on the “100 problems that bug you” assignment, we selected
the main problem statement “People forget to take their medicines on time”.

2. Brainstorming and Idea generation – A detailed discussion was held on the

problem statement, concluding the idea of the product which can either be
carried or be kept in a static position in house, which will send some visual and
audible cues to the users whenever it is the right time to take their medicines.
Then we also thought about various designs to hold the medicines in the
respective slots such that it is easy for the user to access the medicines.

Figure 4: A mind map of choosing features for the product.

5
3. Selection -After multiple meetings, discussions, and brainstorming sessions, we
arrived at a final solution for the problem statement. Our solution was as
follows - To design a product that can hold the medicines and timely remind the
user to take medicines on time. The design with a 3x7 matrix for holding the
medicines and a design of 3 slots portable device was selected. The portable
device could not be implemented as it required expertise in manufacturing
skills. We implemented the 3x7 matrix box. Further the design aspects of the
product including software and hardware requirements were brainstormed and a
list of requirements was made. After that we went to order the electronic parts
required, and worked on the software.

6
 Chapter 4

Embodiment and Detailed Design

1. Product architecture - We made an ESP32 [8] Web Server. that can connect
with the mobile application made in kotlin[9] for android devices. The built in
RTC[10] then syncs itselfs to the clock via NTP [11] and the main loop runs
checking for the current time against the time table slots stored in memory.
Whenever the current time matches with any slot time the alarm is ringed using
the buzzer and that particular LED is triggered.

Figure 5: Detailed Design of Product

2. System-level design - The Mobile application interacts with the microcontroller

board using WiFi[12] Web Server. data is transmitted using post and get
requests between the modules. The time table is in the form of an integer array
of 7x3 implementing the time table for three slots a week. The ESP32 then
interacts with the NTP server via a get request to sync the inbuilt RTC with the

7
 IST. Then the main event loop is run infinitely checking the current time against
the one stored in memory.  The time-table array is stored in the EEPROM/ flash
memory [13] in the microcontroller that does not reset on power down. The
controller then sends encoded signals to the decoder circuit which then
demultiplexes it to 21 LEDs and a buzzer.

3. Design configuration - The box is 30cmx18cm in size, the design was made
using a HDMR sheet and 7 lids and compartments made in the box for each day
of the week, further each compartment is partitioned into 3 sections each for
slot of the day. Holes are drilled in each compartment for an indicator LED for
that particular slot.

4. Detailed design –
● Electrical/Electronics aspect: We used ESP32 as the microcontroller
board of choice as it has the WiFi and bluetooth[14] capability inbuilt.
We used the inbuilt clock RTC in the microcontroller for the time
counter. We planned to use a DS1302 RTC molecule which could not be
integrated with the microcontroller board. We used 74HC4514[15] 4x16
decoders to demux the output from the microcontroller. A PZ buzzer is
used for ringing the alarm. We used 10mm DIP LEDs in the design.
● Software part: We used kotlin+XML[16] to design the android
application for controlling the product. We use ArduinoIDE[17] for
ESP32 development. The software implementation and documentation
of both can be found at-
Mobile Application - https://github.com/pushkar-dev/DP_Project-2k22
ESP 32 Code- https://github.com/pushkar-dev/Dp_Project_ESP-Code
No working mechanical parts were used in the product hence no mechanical
description required.

8
 Chapter 5

Fabrication and Assembly

1. Bill of Materials (BOM).

Item Name Quantity required

HDMR Sheet 1
Nails(5mm) 60
Felxi Quick 3
Glue Sticks 5
Led 21
Buzzer 1
Wires 2m
Microcontroller 1
Decoder 2
Breadboard 1
Soldering Wire 1
Jumper Wires 1 Pack
Adapter 1
Battery 2
Battery Caps 1
Resistors 2
Table 2: Bill of Materials

9
2. The Material used for the box is HDMR sheet and stainless steel hinges are
used to join the lids to the compartments. The dimensions of each of the small
compartments internally is 30x30 mm(± 2mm). The lids have 10mm(±0.5mm)
diameter holes for LEDs. The box also has 15mm(±1mm) pathways between
the maze for the wires to pass through. The compartment for the Circuit board
is 9x30 mm(±2mm) internally for the circuit board to fix the lid of this
compartment has two small holes for the wires of the buzzer to pass through.
And the walls of the maze also have small holes for wires of leds to pass
through.
Mobile Application is coded in Flutter which allows the user to set the custom
alarms for each and every compartment and communicates with the node-mcu
using WiFi and sends an array to the microcontroller and then microcontroller
sets that array in its code.
ESP32 (which have built in WiFi and bluetooth module) is used for the
communication between mobile application and box, it is also used to direct the
LEDs to glow (it have a 5 bit decoder circuit connected with it in order to light
up one led at a time) and the buzzer to go off, 10mm 2V led are used here to
indicate the compartment whose medicine are to be taken. Piezoelectric buzzer
is used to make the beeping sound at the specified time, breadboard and jumper
wires and connecting wires are used to connect the different electrical
components.

Figure 6: The Design of the product

10
Figure 7: Snapshot of the Mobile application

Figure 8: Snapshot of the Whole product

11
 Figure 9: Snapshot of the Working Prototype

3. Manufacturing Process description: For the 3x7 compartment box we had to

do carpentry on the HDMR board. Firstly we made the maze using walls which
were cut from the HDMR sheet and joined them using nails and quick adhesive
and after that we assembled the maze with the base of the box after which we
placed the lids to the boxes using small hinges and nails. Meanwhile, we also
drilled holes in the walls of the maze and lids of the compartments in order to
make pathways for the wires and fix the LED’s. Then we soldered wires with
the LED’s and fixed them in the lids and passed the wires through the holes and
pathways to the circuit board. The wires are then connected to the demuxing
circuit which is connected to the microcontroller board. The microcontroller
board is then connected to the main power supply via adapter for USB2.0.

4. Assembly- We had a box of HDMR sheets with 22 sub compartments of which

21 are for medicines and one is for the circuit board. We also soldered leds with
the connecting wires, and the rest of the circuit was on the breadboard. For the
product to be assembled we had to attach the leds to in the holes on the lids of
the compartments, and then pass the wires through the pathway to the circuit
compartment, and then we had to make all the connections with the decoder
circuit connected with the microcontroller, after making all the connections we
had to test the circuit with the mobile application that both are able to
communicate.

12
5. Limitations and Challenges: The biggest Challenge was to build a mobile
application and communicate with the microcontroller using that application.
Then came the box part, we had to learn a whole new software for the CAD[18]
design of the box. we had to learn how to use different carpentry tools in order
to be able to make the box, and the hinges of that small size were not available
in the market, we had to arrange those from various sources. For the decoder
circuit we had to come up with a 5 bit decoder as 21 leds are to be lightened up
at different times, therefore we used 2 decoders for the circuit.

6. Scheduling plan:

Table 3:What We did

Table 4: What possibly can be done(keeping in mind that we know how to use
different tools(software etc)and the hardware is available on time)

13
6. Contribution:
a. Pushkar Patel
- Team Lead.
- Planning and development of software for the mobile application and
E32.
- Planning and integration of all modules.
b. Madhur Jajoo
- Ordering and handling of electronic parts and E32, and budget
planning.
- Design of the overall project.
- Testing and integration of the product.
c. Himakshi Gupta
- Designing and posters and content for presentation.
- Doing Market survey research.
- Creating and testing the circuit design and simulation.
d. Amit Maindola
- Contribution in software development in E32.
- Testing of the overall product.
e. Payal K Sah
- Creating and testing the circuit design and simulation.
- Circuit design of the overall product.
- Med Pods designing , wire connection , led and fixing in Med Pods
etc.
f. Bhagirath Ram
- Assisted other team members in outdoor work.
- Worked with Madhur in product design.
- Went to submit reports and proposals in the south campus.

7. Conclusions: In the conclusion we present a product that can hold medicines in

place and remind users to take medicines on time. It is easy to program using
the android application. We propose that with further modifications in design,
we can build a lighter and cheaper version of the product that can be market
ready under ₹ 2-3k. We can also integrate a LiPo battery[19] with the product to
give it a power backup of upto a week. It is unlike any existing product in the
market and has a high potential.

14
References
1. How Healthcare Software Solutions Can Save Your Life | Innovecs-
https://innovecs.com/blog/how-healthcare-solutions-can-save-your-life/
2. Medication non-adherence (MNA)
https://academic.oup.com/ckj/article/15/7/1253/6507564#:~:text=Medicatio
n%20non%2Dadherence%20(MNA),diagnose%2C%20prevent%20and%20t
reat%20MNA.
3. Effect of Medical adherence
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934668/#b47-rmhp-7-035
4. Vision Impairment data
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impa
irment#:~:text=Globally%2C%20at%20least%202.2%20billion,has%20yet
%20to%20be%20addressed.
5. People who forgot to take the medicine
https://innovecs.com/blog/how-healthcare-solutions-can-save-your-life/
6. Crownmart weekly pill organizer -
https://www.amazon.in/Crownmart-organizer-compartments-moisture-proof-
supplements/dp/B09NRMTRZT/ref=asc_df_B09NRMTRZT/?tag=googlesh
opdes-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=545005643496&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvr
and=14612432888564892268&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hv
dvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9297884&hvtargid=pla-1571990181075&t
h=1
7. MED-Q Digital Pill Box -
https://www.ninecentral.in/products/medq-digital-pill-box-single-beep-alarm
-and-led-alert?gclid=CjwKCAjw-rOaBhA9EiwAUkLV4iK8P4TFg3SAQw
X6utuQto-i32LQvrdR13ZrrRhdZLf0ERWLZX9BlBoCepEQAvD_BwE
8. ESP32 microcontroller - https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32
9. Kotlin https://kotlinlang.org/
10. RTC DS1302 - https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/DS1302.pdf
11. NTP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Time_Protocol

15
12. WiFi in ESP 32
https://www.upesy.com/blogs/tutorials/how-to-connect-wifi-acces-point-with
-esp32#:~:text=The%20ESP32%20has%202%20WiFi,ESP32%20can%20ac
cess%20the%20Internet.
13. EEPROM/Flash memory in ESP32
https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-flash-memory/#:~:text=With%20the
%20ESP32%20and%20the,255%20in%20each%20address%20position.\
14. Bluetooth in ESP32
https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-bluetooth-classic-arduino-ide/
15. Decoders
https://www.nexperia.com/products/analog-logic-ics/i-o-expansion-logic/dec
oders-demultiplexers/series/74HC4514-74HCT4514.html#:~:text=The%207
4HC4514%3B%2074HCT4514%20is%20a,by%20the%20data%20on%20A
n.
16. XML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML
17. Software to code in ESP23 :-Arduino IDE
https://randomnerdtutorials.com/installing-the-esp32-board-in-arduino-ide-w
indows-instructions/
18. CAD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_design
19. LiPo Battery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_polymer_battery
All Links Retrieved on (18th of october 2022)

16
Appendix 1

17