Developing a Connected Auto Injector Device

A connected solution for drug delivery

Recipharm wanted to demonstrate the potential value of adding connectivity to its innovative VapourSoft® powered range of auto-injectors. They asked Team Consulting to help them develop a connectivity demonstrator to evaluate the functionality for a range of potential use cases, from supporting patient adherence to promoting behaviour change.

Employing low-cost development technologies and prototyping techniques, we rapidly developed a proof-of-concept connected module to fit inside the rear cap of their existing auto-injector, along with an iOS application, cloud database and web portal.

Digital health | UX/UI design | Electronics | Software

The rapid development of functional demonstrator systems reduces the risk to future development, ensuring that key challenges are addressed early and that the right solution is brought to market.
Ben Cox, Head of Digital Health, Team Consulting

Autoinjector alongside mobile phone and ipad showing cloud connection

Designing the system

For connected systems to be successful, it is important that the use sequence is robust, seamless and that set-up steps are minimised to ease burden on the user.

Our project team mapped out the use sequence to visualise the system states, describing their behaviour and interactions between the auto-injector, mobile app and back-end. This enabled us to highlight technical requirements and specific design challenges.

1Device pairing

For the demonstrator module, no active pairing step is required; an injection is recorded whether the app is open or not.

2Powering on

The module electronics do not use any power before use, switching on automatically just before the device is activated.

3Sensing

At the point of activation, various parameters including time, orientation, temperature, and force are recorded.

4Data transmission

A data package is transmitted via Bluetooth including sensor data, in addition to device and therapy information.

Prototype electronics

We selected off-the-shelf components for the electronics development. This helped us to quickly meet the project requirements for sensing orientation and temperature, in addition to providing a microcontroller and Bluetooth low energy connectivity. This compact module, packed with sensors, was ideal for creating a concept demonstrator and initial prototype before investing further in hardware and software development. We also designed a rigid printed circuit board to interface with the development kit and used prototypes to develop the firmware and test core functionality.

Integration with an existing package

We used carbon 3D prototyping to generate a chassis to house the electronics and secure the module to the auto-injector casework. This technique was chosen to ensure the prototype parts could be used for numerous demonstrations and to be able to withstand forces during activation and injection.

The optimised, single-use concept, designed for volume production, adds less than 5% to the auto-injector length.

App design

Using digital design and prototyping tools, we rapidly designed a companion app and web portal in a few weeks to demonstrate full system functionality. This involved giving careful consideration to features and functions that could add value both from a patient and healthcare professional perspective.

The user experience was designed to be supportive, guide a new patient through the process and also work in the background once a patient becomes more confident with their medication.
Chris Davies, UX Designer, Team Consulting

Autoinjector with bluetooth connectivity

Invisibly intelligent hardware

The connected module mimics the form of the existing rear cap of the auto-injector to ensure the integration appears seamless. This allows the module to be easily removed from a used auto-injector and attached to a new one, for demonstration purposes, without affecting performance.

Complementary interfaces

We built the patient-facing iOS app to ensure an accurate record of doses taken, providing a clear visual state change when an injection is due. Additional prescription information was also included, while a data feature offers a friendly guide to adherence without overwhelming the patient.

The responsive web portal provides healthcare professionals or clinical sites with the necessary details to monitor adherence and keep track of a patient population. The connected module also allows technical data for each injection to be captured, including metrics such as orientation and temperature, in addition to device and therapy information. For demonstration purposes, a list of most recent doses is presented to highlight when a new injection has been transmitted from the iOS app to the database.

Team understood our requirements to embody connectivity in a way that would be flexible in its usage and minimally invasive to the existing device functionality. They were able to rapidly deliver a connected demonstrator system to support stakeholder engagement to understand and validate needs.
Recipharm

Hands holding autoinjector with connected pcb module sq

Outcome

Our approach enabled Recipharm to quickly get a prototype device into the hands of users and commercial partners. The sensing solution highlighted the potential benefits of adding connectivity, from the collection of valuable data and insights from users, along with the ability to encourage patient adherence by providing a considered and supportive user experience.

^{This project was completed for Bespak by Recipharm, prior to Bespak’s separation from Recipharm in 2024.}

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