“Can be linked up to any brand of dispensing machine”
Gerrit Baarda, Director of ZiuZ Gorredijk
ZiuZ specialises in visual intelligence and, over the years, we've built up a considerable amount of knowledge in the automatic analysis of videos and images. Our technology is used by police forces to search for and identify child pornography, efficiently presenting the material so as to lighten the burden for police investigators. As a result, they can handle more cases and save more victims. This sort of investigation is not only socially relevant and constantly in the news, but also a key item politically. At ZiuZ, we are accustomed to dealing with this kind of responsibility.
A second application of our knowledge is observation. Again, our software enables large amounts of images to be efficiently analysed, helping, for instance, the police in tracing and preventing serious, organised crime.
Personally, I've always had a passion for machines. When SPITS Oosterwolde asked if ZiuZ could come up with a solution for checking dosage bags, we got the opportunity to build our own machine from scratch. SPITS packages medication in unit dose bags; each bag contains the right amount and combination of medicine needed by the patient at each dose during the day. SPITS clearly identified four requirements for the machine, namely:
- The machine had to be able to check that the content of each dosage bag was correct and so avoid human error.
- The machine had to help reduce the amount of manual work involved and so increase efficiency.
- The machine had to be able to take photos of the dosage bags in order to provide visual evidence if errors were reported when the medication was administered.
- The machine had to be able to generate statistics so that the packaging process would become more transparent and interventions made accurately.
A collaboration of the product developers and scientists from ZiuZ and the knowledge and experience from SPITS Oosterwolde has resulted in the ZiuZ Inspector. Right from the start, the machine was developed and built with the client, which is why it meets demands so well and is so user friendly. We're very proud of the Inspector's international success, and I think one of its real benefits is that it can be linked up to any brand of dispensing machine. It can check dosage bags produced by Baxter, Tosho, JVM, Sanyo and Robotik Technology. The fact that we are a software company means we can quickly generate compatibility with the dispensing machine's operating system, and that means the client is always able to choose the best method of checking its dosage bags. What's more, we're continually improving and developing functionality using the advanced insights of our clients. That's what ZiuZ Medical is all about.
