Smart Bottle Cap Reminds Patients to Take Their Medicine

Novel internet connected smart pill-bottle caps light up, make noise, and send a text message or a voice call when it is time to take medication.

The Vitality (Cambridge, MA, USA) internet-connected GlowCaps fit on standard prescription bottles and use light and sound reminders, which can be followed by a phone call or text message so that users do not miss a dose. Each time the pill bottle is opened adherence data is recorded and securely relayed to Vitality over the AT&T (Dallas, TX, USA) wireless network. The daily adherence information is used to compile periodic progress reports that are sent to patients, caregivers and doctors, and family members.

The GlowCap pulses orange when it is time to take the medication, and then plays a melody to alert the patient if he has not taken the prescribed medication within an hour. It also comes with a wireless night light that plugs into a kitchen or bathroom outlet and glows a calm blue, again pulsing orange when it is time to take the pill. It also includes a home health gateway that requires a broadband Internet connection, which in the United States to link with a connectivity service plan powered by the AT&T network. Using a computer, the patient, or caregiver can program when pills need to be taken.

"The glow caps give you information every single day," said David Rose, CEO of Vitality. "We have a dashboard that shows us who's taking their medication ... what time they were supposed to take their mediation, how late they were, who's their doctor, and what other medication they are taking."

"The caps' ring-tone melody is an arpeggio that starts off being subtle and nice, but becomes more insistent," added Mr. Rose. "We wanted it to be iconic, memorable, and not too obnoxious. If you're creating a device that aims to change a daily behavior, then it's important to be subtle."

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