Smart Medication

Multimorbidity refers to the simultaneous occurrence of several diseases. It is particularly characteristic in the elderly, where diseases often occur chronically. Since the diseases are mostly mutually dependent and sometimes trigger serious consequences, drug therapies are usually complex and require the use of many different drugs at different times of the day. Under the name “Smart Medication”, the designer Kilian Frieling has developed a kind of 3D printer for the individualization of drug dispensing.

Precisely fitting dosages on a carrier film

Using body data that is recorded from each patient himself, the doctor can create an individual therapy for the patient. The printer works with medication cartridges that contain the various active ingredients in the form of granules. They are printed on a carrier film in a precisely fitting dose and can be taken by the patient.

With the help of the app, the doctor can feed the treatment plan into the printer, monitor the progress of treatment and communicate with the patient. Pharmacological interactions can be avoided using Big Data and by the monitoring of the doctor. The patient can use his Smart Devices connected to his body to measure body data and share them with the doctor. Also, the app shows a notice on the mobile phone when a medication has been printed.

The development was nominated for the “Design Research Award” in the “German Design Graduates” competition:

www.germandesigngraduates.com/smart-medication