ENTR 3100.

PillPaw

Our Story

At the start of the semester, our team members shared personal stories about our grandmothers and close relatives. A common theme emerged: our concern about how often they skip their medications, which worries us as caregivers. We discussed how they sometimes lie about taking their pills, saying things like, "It's okay to skip a dose" or "I’ve already taken it." These worries about our elderly relatives' health motivated us to focus on medication management as a way to care for them, reflecting the nurturing they provided for us in our youth. This inspired us to create PillPaw, a tool designed to help our grandparents and other seniors remember to take their medication in a compassionate and supportive way.

Meet the Team

  • A woman with short black hair smiling in a lush indoor garden or greenhouse surrounded by green plants.

    Yau Hei Chung

    Co-Founder & CEO

  • A young woman with shoulder-length black hair smiling and showing her teeth, standing among green plants.

    Bryce Chan

    Co-Founder & CFO

  • A man with glasses and a nose ring sitting indoors, wearing a dark green sweater, with a blurred background and a plant to the right.

    "Tomi" Tomiris Kushekenova

    Co-Founder & CIO

  • A woman with curly black hair, glasses, and earrings smiling indoors.

    Dik Man Shum

    Co-Founder & COO

  • A man with curly dark hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a black sweater, looking thoughtfully to the side indoors near a plant.

    Anna Yi Lok Yao

    Co-Founder & CTO

  • A smiling young woman with curly hair, glasses, hoop earrings, and layered necklaces, wearing a striped shirt, indoors with natural light

    Tingfang Zhang

    Co-Founder & CMO

  • Ka Yung Cheng

    Co-Founder & CAO

PillPaw

Care for yourself, care for your pet, care for your loved ones.

  • HKD$178 /month

    • Automatic pill dispensing at scheduled times

    • Pet companion with emotional engagement

    • Family gets notification when pills taken
      Visual feedback

    • Anti-loneliness light feature

  • The PillPaw MVP is built around a single, reinforcing flow that guides user from reminder to reward, ensuring adherence and building positive habits.

    1. Reminder: A gentle sound & vibration alarm at the scheduled time.

    2. Dispense: Auto-opens correct pill drawer. E-ink displays pill info.

    3. Confirmation: User confirms via button. Weight sensors ensure intake.

    4. Reward: Pet becomes cheerful! E-ink displays happy animation.

  • Penguins are such warm, affectionate animals that we really love. They remind me of my childhood, when I would hug my grandma often because she always kept me feeling warm and cared for. That special kind of close care is something not everyone can provide, much like how penguins embrace each other as a community. This connection truly resonates with me. Ultimately, our group decided to use the penguin as our prototype to convey the message that taking medication is a vital part of caring for oneself.

How might we redesign the boring, high-friction pill adherence system and make taking pills fun and loving so our elderlies can be healthy and well?

The Product Adoption Curve

The Financial Roadmap: Funding the first batch

The Marketing Strategy: multi-channel sales strategy

Our Prototyping Journey

Prototype 1

The product needed to be:

●  More interactive than just a cute outlook to encourage daily compliance.

●  Portable (e.g., keychain or phone case) to ensure it is always with the user, solving the problem of a separate, easily ignored alarm.

●  Alarm-equipped to automatically remind users.

Prototype 2

The second prototype successfully validated the core concept of emotional engagement through the virtual pet's health/mood. The primary remaining improvement was refining the physical design:

●  Softness/Texture: Change the material to a plush, furry material for increased comfort and companionship.

●  Placement: Design for placement on a small table or sofa, suggesting a shift away from the keychain concept toward a beloved home companion.

Q&A

What was something that surprised you about the the elderly?

I found that many elderly individuals are quite lonely and dependent on others; they really want to be understood. They enjoy sharing stories from their daily lives, whether mundane or significant, and love to discuss how they tackle various issues. Despite their desire for interaction, they often lack the opportunities to connect with others. This project has shifted my perspective, as I now believe we can provide solutions that offer companionship and help them feel more engaged in their lives.

What were some challenges you encountered?

Due to the significant age gap between us and the elderly, we initially struggled to connect with the challenges they face. You raised a crucial point: throughout our project, it's essential to prioritize the emotional aspects of their lives. While many of us are aware of the aging population, few truly understand the specifics of their daily experiences. During our interviews, we discovered that many elderly individuals spend much of their time alone at home. When they feel bored, they might go to the park, hoping to find some company or simply look around to pass the time. This insight highlights the importance of addressing their emotional needs and fostering connections in our project

What are your next steps in developing PillPaw?

We plan to develop a "plushie huggable form" that is both portable and comforting, designed to be a constant companion for the elderly. Our vision is for this product to be something they would want to have by their side for the rest of their lives, offering them comfort and a sense of security. This initiative aims to address the broader issues of emotional engagement that are often overlooked in elderly care, acknowledging the need for companionship and connection in enhancing their overall well-being.