MedPez
A thesis project to simplify medication tracking.
MedPez is a modular pill dispenser and mobile app designed to help patients stay on track with their prescriptions. It was developed over the course of a year as part of our senior capstone project at Santa Clara University.
1st Place - 2025 SCU Senior Design Conference (Healthcare and Accessibility track)
Year
2024-2025
Timeline
30 Weeks
Designer
Liam Reese
Brian Lee
Hannah Hoeptner
Contribution
Project Lead
Industrial Design
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
User Research
C++ Programming
UI/UX Design
CAD
Color, Material, and Finish
Branding
Modular Hardware, Intuitive Software
MedPez uses interchangable cartridges for different pill sizes and a simple touchscreen UI, making it accessible to users of all tech-literacy levels.
Keep the Brains, Swap Out the Pills
MedPez separates its housing and cartridge for modularity—housing electronics above, and a mechanical pill-dispensing and tracking system below.
01
Motivation
Through interviews and extensive research, we identified a disconnect between the intended action of taking a medication and actually completing the dose.
Intention-to-Action Gap
MedPez set out to address this barrier by combining the alarm, dosage tracking, and physical medication into one device.
02
Design Process
Fall 2024
Preliminary research and interviews with target users
Defined app features, wireframed UI, and set up Firebase
First mechanical prototype and power circuit
Winter 2025
Built medication tracking features in the mobile app
Prototyped new hardware and integrated IR + rotary sensors
Connected app to device via ESP32 and began Bluetooth work
Spring 2025
Real-time sync with mobile app and hardware
Integrated power system and redesigned internal layout
IRB approved testing with focus groups
System Overview
MedPez separates its housing and cartridge for modularity—housing electronics above, and a mechanical pill-dispensing and tracking system below.
User Storyboard
Users insert a cartridge, pour in pills, and program MedPez automate their medication schedule—dispensing pills on time and tracking doses via a connected app.
03
UI Design
MedPez combines a touchscreen interface and companion mobile app to deliver a seamless experience, unified by tiles and consistent visual language.
Mobile UI
A clean, customizable app interface lets users to manage medications, view dose history, and toggle alarms.
Touchscreen UI
Widgets display information synced from the mobile app via widgets which utilize the same visual language.
04
Integration
We 3D printed modular housings to test ergonomics and fit, hand-built custom PCBs and wiring harnesses, and validated our dispensing system with functional prototypes integrated with the mobile app.
Demo Video
The MedPez app syncs seamlessly with the device, enabling reminders, logging, and real-time tracking—all with simple user input.
Prototyping Process
Bringing MedPez to life required dozens of hardware iterations to refine the form, mechanism, and electronics.