Porticos engineers combined technical expertise with practical specifications to develop Livi™, the advanced precision medication-dispensing device. It delivers prescription-specific dosages of multiple medications for advanced patient home care. Direct-loading by a retail pharmacy will ensure precise, controlled medication dispensing for up to three months.
Livi™ dispenses medicines as scheduled. Internet-enabled remote oversight and comprehensive medication-adherence reports improve coordination of care and ensure that patients receive medications exactly as prescribed.
Engineering priorities:
The Porticos engineering team focused on creating detailed volume-manufacturing specifications that maintained the precise design intent of the device.
- Design of Livi™’s adaptable pill-delivery system, which accommodates all dosage configurations (including size, shape, type, and combination of pills).
The system can be configured to feed pills that measure less than 5mm and up 30mm in size. A single machine accommodates up to 15 different types of pills at once. A reliable pill feeding and counting mechanism was developed with many rapid iterations of 3D printed prototypes.
- Detail design of parts for production manufacturing processes, including injection molding.Guided by preliminary industrial design sketches, the team created 3D models of complex exterior surfaces and developed the models into detailed part designs for injection molding. 3D printed prototype mechanism designs were evolved into detailed designs for high-volume injection molding. Internal structure was designed to utilize sheet metal parts for volume production and low tooling cost.
- Support user trials and FDA Certification by procuring materials for a 30-unit build. Establishing the supply chain and coordinating the materials in the build process.The team created and maintained a bill of materials and assisted in supplier selection. Our engineers fully assembled and functionally tested all prototype machines.
- Preparation of the units for internal pre-scans and IEC 60601-1, -1-2 and -1-11 testing.
The design was performed upfront to meet medical device requirements. Our team also incorporated rapid design changes in response to early testing results.
- Design will be refined based on feedback from the user trials, which are currently in process.User experience feedback will be considered in following areas:
- Caregiver/maintainer experience including cover and access panel operation, configuration for individual medications, cleaning, refilling
- Patient experience including industrial design, interface button size and feel, clarity of display, accessibility of dispensed medications
- Reliability
- Information on actual medications used
