The Naloxone Dispenser
A Dispenser that could prevent overdoses
Project Type: Maker Lab
Course: Maker Lab 1
Timeline: Oct-Dec 2020
Role: Designed the instructions guide on how to use the Naloxone dispenser
Team: Taylor, Nick, Duncan and I
Tools: Blender
Overview:
The objective of this project is to help make naloxone kits more accessible and more useful to people who are overdosing on opioids. To do this, we are designing a dispenser that can be built by common shop owners, municipalities, and restaurant owners. The dispenser can be built with a combination of 3D printing, nuts and bolts, and things laying around the house like a broomstick handle.
Project Topic Who are the users?
Provides easy access to obtain and administer Naloxone
Helps the social issue of the opioid crisis Ontario
People who experience overdoses of opioids
Goal Social Concerns
Make Naloxone kits more accessible
Buildable dispensers that can be put up anywhere in any city
Opioid Crisis in Canada
At least 12 people die everyday in Canada
A stigma on opioid abusers prevent them from reaching out for help
Naloxone Dispensers Locations
Will need government’s permission in order to dispense Naloxone kits (ex: rules and legislations)
Every business store, hotel room
It should be next to be impossible to Overdose
Bus stations should also have one
Prototype Production Methods
Can be 3D printed at a local library or with a service that has 3D printers
Any parts that don't need to be printed can be salvaged through recycling
Only parts that need to straight up be purchased are industrial grade suction cups for easy mounting to walls
Learnings
Things I learned from this project was everyone has the potential to make something out of basic materials that can have a big impact in this world. Designer or not, there are so many social issues we people can contribute and help. One technical challenge my group and I faced when designing and making the project. The first technical challenge we faced was figuring out how we would design this naloxone dispenser. We wanted to incorporate a self-dealing button but we figured out we wouldn’t have the knowledge to build that. The design challenge we faced was deciding where to put the Naloxone Dispensers. We jumped from outside of stores, next to cashiers to bus stations, hotel rooms, and every store. In conclusion, I believe this prototype covers a very important issue in the world today. As more people are relying on drugs for happiness, this prototype has the potential to save people from overdosing on drugs.