An app-powered medicine dispenser developed by Letran students

A group of senior high school students from Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Manila created “DoseRx Medivance”, a technology that could help people take their medications consistently.

With a knack for technology, Grade 12 STEM students Alyssa Gael Aquino, Veronica Flores, John Marcel Estillore, and Paulo Benedict Mendoza engineered the tool, aiming to lessen the instances of skipping a dose of one’s prescribed medicine.

DoseRx Medivance was born out of the idea of helping two of the creators’ grandparents as they were taking maintenance medicine. Estillore, one of the creators of the tech, shared with ABS-CBN News that his grandparents would handwrite the intervals of each medicine on a board, prompting him to create the tool as he believed it could help not only their grandparents but also anyone in the healthcare sector.

The name of the invention came from several ideas. The word “dose” came from “dosage”, which is used in how many milligrams of medicine should be taken over a period of time, while “Rx” came from the symbol seen in medical prescriptions from doctors. The term “medivance” is a condensed version of the words “medicine” and “advance”. However, the team plans to change the name to make it more technical.

The machine underwent several prototypes, with the current version being the most compact among the other prototypes as it is smaller and only has four cells compared to the 21 compartments from the other version.

The tech functions as a container for a person’s medicine, specifically capsules and tablets, and an alarm simultaneously. Through their phone application, caretakers, relatives, or nurses can program the tool to the needs of their patients.

The students who developed the app-powered medicine dispenser take a photo with their mentors. In terms of the size of the capsules and tablets, Aquino ensured that the machine would work as long as the medicines fit the compartments. However, the current prototype could only hold solids, but Flores said that liquids, like vitamins for children, can also be integrated into their app.

When asked about the challenges they experienced during the tech’s early stages, Mendoza shared with ABS-CBN News that the components were expensive and the schematics took time to program.

“Isa pa po sa mga challenges we encountered [was] lack of funding, since [we are] still [students]. Medyo nanghihingi lang po kami ng extra sa parents namin para po makabuo ng product," Flores said. 

She added that since their teammate Paulo used to work on robotics, they used some of the parts from his work for their project.

"We used some of his components and materials na pwedeng i-recycle and gamitin sa mismong prototype namin. Then, konting ambagan,” Flores continued.

Mendoza added that they spent between P5,000 to P8,000 as they had to tinker around to make the prototypes work. He also shared that the design was made from scratch, where they utilized his 3D printer for the exterior, ordered the electronics online, and assembled the tech.

When asked about their experiences in tech competitions, Aquino shared with ABS-CBN News that all they wanted to do was show up. She said that they were the only senior high school students that competed in one of the competitions they attended, as they were up against professionals. While they did bag several awards from the competitions they attended, she also emphasized that it was a bonus for them to receive an award as they were after the memories made during the events.

“And it might feel like overwhelming pero I- we really just wanted po na parang to experience this kind of rush all over again. Parang yung part po namin na we wanna give something na will help the masses, the public and moreso integration po ng knowledge na anong meron kami and what we can offer,” she added.

The team expressed their thanks to the people that supported them throughout the creation of the tech as it helped them further develop their creation. They also believe that anyone can contribute to making a difference not only in the field of medicine but also in any sector they want to help in.

With regards to the tool’s further development and commercialization, the collective is open to anyone willing as they believe it could further help better the health sector of the country.

Their mentor, Eilza Bello, and the Letran SHS Principal, Geraldine Lagmay, showed their appreciation for their students by stating that they are proud and honored that they have students who innovate to better the lives of others, especially in a technology-centric age.

Lagmay believed that the SHS department is doing well. She emphasized that they train their students as their creation went under rigorous critique from people within their institution.

They also shared with ABS-CBN News that moral support is one of the things they can offer to tech-savvy students like them. Bello, specifically, said that they have also integrated a robotics-related subject into their students’ physics syllabus.

“For tech-savvy students, [we are] doing our best. [We are] maximizing our resources. When we say robotics, [we are] not talking about cheap materials, so we really have to spend on it, especially if you have to test it. We are supporting them financially,” the SHS Principal stated.