Helping People with Dementia Manage Medications Using Smart Dispensers
Official title: Preventing Medication Mismanagement in People Living with Dementia through Automated Medication Dispensing with Facial Recognition and Video Observation
Funded at Hido Technologies, INC. · NIH-11196749 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is creating a smart medication dispenser with facial recognition and video to help people with dementia take their medicines correctly and stay safely at home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hido Technologies, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (El Dorado Hills, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,232,957 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AG077737-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11196749 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future involvement would be individuals aged 21 and older living with Alzheimer's disease dementia who experience challenges with medication management.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have dementia or who do not struggle with medication adherence may not directly benefit from this specific technology.
What this research studies
Many people living with dementia struggle to manage their medications, which can lead to serious health problems and hospital visits. This project aims to solve this challenge by developing the HiDO-ALZ platform, an automated medication dispenser. The device uses artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and video observation to make sure medications are taken on time and correctly. Our goal is to reduce medication errors, ease the burden on caregivers, and help individuals with dementia live independently at home for longer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this technology could significantly reduce medication errors, decrease emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers.
How similar studies have gone: While automated dispensers exist, this project introduces advanced AI-driven facial recognition and direct video observation for enhanced adherence, representing a novel approach to a persistent problem.
Where this research is happening
-
Hido Technologies, INC.
El Dorado Hills, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gellman, Charles — Hido Technologies, INC.
- Study coordinator: Gellman, Charles
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.