Brigham Young University (BYU) is aware that prescription pain medicine abuse is a growing problem on their campus, and have developed a device they hope will help prevent abuse. Mechanical engineering students at BYU wanted to stop the ability for an overdose by creating a device that would prohibit people from gaining access to their pills except for when the prescription said they were supposed to have them.

Students spent several months designing their prototype, which is called the Med Vault. Pharmacists plug the device into a USB port to access the device and load the pills. It has both a password for the pharmacist when they program it to dispense a pill according to the prescription, as well as the user password that they enter every time that it’s time to get a pill. The device is designed to prevent people from taking too many of their pills or taking them too often. The case is also made out of a material that won’t be broken with a hammer.

The project was part of BYU’s annual engineering capstone program, where 30 companies from around the country sponsor students to create engineering solutions.

At Seabrook, we are committed to providing quality addiction treatment for the physical, emotional and spiritual illness of chemical dependency. Our structured, nurturing programs, along with the principles grounded in the Twelve Step philosophy of recovery, combine to foster the kind of change necessary for a clean and sober life.