MedScanner

Github REPO

https://github.com/charlesjin123/medicine-scanner

Inspiration

We believe everyone deserves easy, safe access to their medication – yet the small fine print that often takes up hundreds to thousands of words printed on the back of medicine bottles is incredibly inaccessible for a huge market. Watching elderly patients struggle to read fine print, and non-English speakers feeling overwhelmed by confusing medical terms, inspired us to act. Imagine the power of a tool that turns every medication bottle into a personalized, simplified guide in the simple to understand form of cards — that’s the project we’re building. With Med-Scanner, we’re bridging gaps in healthcare access and redefining patient safety.

What it does

Med-Scanner is a game changer, transforming complex medication information into easy-to-understand digital cards. By simply scanning a medication with your phone, users instantly get critical info like dosages, side effects, and interactions, all laid out clearly and concisely. We even speak the instructions for those who are visually impaired. Med-Scanner is the safe and accessible patient care solution for everyone.

How we built it

Using cutting-edge tech like React, Python, and NLP models, we built Med-Scanner from the ground up. The app scans medication labels using advanced OCR and analyzes it with NLP. But we didn’t stop there. We infused text-to-speech for the blind, and personalized chatbots for even further support.

Challenges we ran into

We thrived under time pressure to build a Med-Scanner. One of our greatest challenges was perfecting the OCR to handle blurry, inconsistent images from different formats. Plus, developing an interface that’s accessible, intuitive, and incredibly simple for older users pushed us to innovate like never before. However, with our team of four bring together a multitude of talents, we were able to overcome these challenges to fulfill our mission.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The fact that we did it — we brought this ambitious project to life — fills us with pride. We built a prototype that not only works but works brilliantly, turning complex medical details into clear, actionable cards. We’re especially proud of the accuracy of our OCR model and the seamless voice-over features that make this tool genuinely accessible. We’re also proud of creating a product that’s not just tech-savvy, but mission-driven— making healthcare safer for millions of people.