We check out a Bay of Plenty first - a robot that dispenses pills for everyday prescriptions.
A robotic pill dispenser installed at a Mount Maunganui pharmacy is believed to be a Bay of Plenty first.
The automated dispenser can be used with everyday prescriptions, so Unichem Mount Dispensary staff could spend less time tediously counting out pills manually, business owner Daphne Earles said.
It will alsogreatly reduce the opportunities for human errors, such as pill mix-ups or miscounting, and help pharmacists work faster, she said.
"I love it so much - I want another one. This is where pharmacy is heading."
The EV54 nano robotic dispenser is designed and made in Japan, medico and automation specialist Penny Thompson of Douglas Pharmaceuticals said.
It has 54 slots for the most commonly prescribed pills. A barcode system ensures that only the right medicine slot is unlocked, and a laser counts the pills as they fall down a chute.
"It just clatters away in the background. Meanwhile the brain and body can do more productive things than standing around and counting pills."
She said the product was unique in New Zealand and this was the first unit installed in the Bay of Plenty.
