The Research of Using Magnetic Pillbox as Smart Pillbox System's Interactive Tangible User Interface

Along with the improved technology and living quality, people's lives have become more and more comfortable. The ages of patients with chronic diseases drop and the numbers year by year, therefore the demand of medication for chronic disease will keep growing. To easily record and remind the time of taking medication, the smart pillbox has been developed. However, currently most of smart pillboxes were designed for elderlies who usually stay in home. They are too large to be easily carried, with multiple buttons on their interfaces and complex steps of operation. This study introduces a smart pillbox system which applies magnet and tablet computer as its entity to be interface. The system uses 3D printing technology to produce prototype kit, and the magnet so that each cartridge is connected. Through installing Liang Rong-Hao's GaussSense to enhance its accuracy of sensor, the user can operate the tablet computer to obtain information wanted by moving, rotating and combing the pillbox. The study evaluates the practicality and feasibility through applying software prototyping method on implementation system, and its result will be the reference for future development and research.