TAMPA, Fla. — A five-student team of inventors from Middleton High School in Tampa was honored this week during Lemelson-MIT's EurekaFest, a celebration of 13 teams nationwide of inventors making devices that tackle real-world problems.


What You Need To Know

  • The team created a prescription medication dispenser

  • It can be used in senior homes to track seniors taking their medication

  • It even has a camera so nurses can monitor seniors as they take their medication

Middleton High School's team created a prescription medication dispenser for use in senior homes.

"Sixteen percent to 27% of nursing home residents are victims of medication errors, and this problem is quantified by the alarming staff to resident ratio in Florida which is 1 to 20," said student inventor Anish Dhanashekar."

The medication dispenser device can hold 10 medications for up to two weeks. It is equipped with a display panel giving seniors information about medications being dispensed.  

It also has a camera allowing nursing staff to monitor seniors as they take their medications.

Middleton High School's team of inventors was awarded a grant to build the device and present it during EurekaFest this week.

But the team hopes to continue working on the device, with it ultimately being implemented in nursing homes.

"Ideally we'd like to continue testing in a senior home, which is what the medication dispenser is intended to be used at, to see how it functions and to see if we can make any improvements," said student inventor Muni Bondu.

For more information, go to Lemelson-MIT's grant program.