Patenting an AI Powered Augment Reality experience taught to observe & think with my hands

The problem

Drug interactions are a serious health risk. When a prescription medication is taken alongside certain over-the-counter vitamins or specific foods (like drinking grapefruit juice with cholesterol medication or Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) drugs like certain depression medication with cured meats like hot dogs that might have tyramine) , and it can either make the drug less effective or cause dangerous side effects. Checking for these interactions manually by reading labels or looking them up online can be tedious, detailed, and easy to mess up. For certain groups of people who take 5+ Rx, keeping an eye for interactions can be overwhelming. This drug interaction problem came to me via observations & research.

The frustration

There is frustration with both the patient, caregiver and medical system. The article written by Stacey Colino on AARP communicates the frustration & problem well.

“It’s an issue that’s not on a lot of people’s radar screens. Honestly, it’s not on many doctors’ radar screens, either,” says Bethanne Brown, a professor of pharmacy practice at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati. “This information can be found in the packet you receive when you pick up your prescription from the pharmacy, but it can get lost in all the written information provided.”

It’s especially important for older adults to be aware of potential food-drug interactions. Research from the Lown Institute shows that 42 percent of U.S. adults 65 and older take five or more prescription drugs per day and nearly 20 percent take 10 or more, complicating matters when it comes to remembering how to take each medication. "

The learnings

I am a hands on learner and have been encouraged to do so by managers, teachers and friends. For this project, before it became a patent, I created flows on paper, hand drawn sketches in the form of storyboards, then physical prototypes with prescription bottles, cardboard, paper and tape. I then moved over to AR prototyping tools & Sketch for the graphics. I collaborated with pharmacist, product owners, engineers, senior leadership and patent attorneys along the way. I learned how to think with my hands and be more observant.