PillPerch

How it fits together

PillPerch, part by part

Scroll or tap a part. Press “See the 3D CAD design” to watch the model, built from our CAD, light each part up and show how it connects.

See the 3D CAD designShow the concept

Real-time 3D render · drag to rotate · final design may varySwipe sideways to rotate

1. 01

   The whole PillPerch

   A tray weighs the weekly pill organiser; when the weight drops, a camera above finds which compartment changed and tells the family by Wi-Fi.

2. 02Brain

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

   The brain: it runs the pillperch-fw program

3. 

   03

   Tray load cell

   Feels a dose leave the organiser, to a fraction of a gram

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · 4 wires to HX711 · Tiny strain signal

4. 

   04

   PRN bay load cell

   Weighs the 'when required' box on its own

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · 4 wires to HX711 · Tiny strain signal

5. 05

   HX711 amplifiers

   Turn cell signals into 24-bit weight readings, 10 per second

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · GPIO clock and data · Weight readings

6. 

   06

   NeoPixel ring light

   Lights the organiser evenly for each half-second photo

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · One GPIO data wire · Light colour data

7. 

   07

   2.13 in e-paper

   Shows 'Mon AM taken 08:12' and the next dose

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · SPI, mast cable · Screen image

8. 08

   Piezo chime

   Chimes for a wrong day or a late dose

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · GPIO pin · Chime tone

9. 09

   PowerBoost and 18650

   Runs from USB-C; about 13 days on battery

   XIAO ESP32S3 Sense · 5 V in mast cable · Power

10. 10

    All connected

    8 key parts, one program, and your phone

How the parts connect

PillPerch, wired up

Every part, what links it to the brain, and how the data reaches your phone. A solid line is a cable; a dashed line is a radio link.

The program

What controls PillPerch

for (;;) {
    w = hx711_read_avg();                       // 10 SPS
    if (disturbed(w)) {
        wait_still(w, 0.05f, 2000);             // within 0.05 g for 2 s
        ring_on();  frame = cam_capture();  ring_off();
        slot = changed_compartment(frame, last_frame);
        step = last_weight - w;
        if (slot == today && step >= 0.25f) ev = TAKEN;
        else if (slot >= 0)                 ev = WRONG_DAY;
        mqtt_publish("pillperch/<id>/event", ev, slot, step);
        if (ev == WRONG_DAY) buzzer_chime();
    }
}

To your phone

How the data reaches PillPerch family app

Family phone

1. PillPerch
2. Wi-Fi · MQTT over TLS
3. Cloud
4. Phone alert
5. Family phone

Key specs

Targets for production units; they may change during development.

Pricing

Target pricing, $129 with the 'when required' bay; agency pack $119 each + $6 per client per month. Parts cost is about $118 at qty 1 and about $50 at qty 1,000 (est.).

Indicative launch pricing in USD, excluding taxes and shipping. Final pricing is confirmed before any balance is charged.

1. 28 Oct 2026, 05:15LatestOne product for an older parent's bedside (owner decision, 27 Oct 2026).

   • Its jobs now run in BedsideOne, the smart bedside table: /products/bedsideone/

   See it in 3DFull research and design

2. 27 Oct 2026, 08:30Families looking after an older parent at a distance often face three worries at once: were the pills taken, how long will the backup oxygen last in a power cut, and is the parent still walking safely, especially on night toilet trips. Today that means a pill dispenser subscription (Hero $29.99-44.99 a month, herohealth.com), a medical alert ($25-29 a month, AARP 2026) and nothing for oxygen or walking; our own three products for it cost $447 and $14 a month with three apps.

   • Combined into ParentHome (https://iemilabs.com/products/parenthome/); PillPerch itself is unchanged

   See it in 3DFull research and design

3. 26 Oct 2026, 03:48Home carers need to know when 'when required' medicines like paracetamol were last taken between visits, and time-sensitive medicines such as Parkinson's tablets are late when visits run late. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) names both in its home-care medicines guidance, and its inspections found paracetamol doses not recorded and pain relief given inside four hours.

   • New CAD part: PRN cup that holds a paracetamol-size box on edge, with a post down to its own load cell; 3 of 3 fit checks pass
   • Changed CAD parts: base case gets a second load-cell pillar, screws and overload stop, and the lid a new post hole; 4 of 4 new fit checks pass and no printed parts touch
   • Hardware: a 780 g bar load cell and a second HX711; parts cost up $14 to about $118 (est.), target price $129
   • Software: 'next from' clock and daily count for 'when required' doses, early alerts for time-critical slots, and a carer visit view
   • Design doc: dated section with 5 sources and new tests; product page summary, highlights, use cases, specs and FAQs updated

   See it in 3DFull research and design

4. 25 Oct 2026, 14:27People forget whether they took today's dose (caregiver forums) -> TAKEN? button shows 'Mon AM taken 08:12' on e-paper

   • New design: 5 printed parts in code CAD, bought parts fit-checked
   • Market research, hardware list and use case written up
   • Design page and kit render published
   • Product page added

   See it in 3DFull research and design