The goal behind Pill-ID is to find out if using a mobile app, and its technology (machine Learning, tenserflow, data collection) can help to prevent the risks linked to drug use and in particular MDMA, simply by scanning a pill to understand its components and therefore the eventual risks/effects linked to taking it. It’s the first time that technology has been used for this cause that affects more and more people.

In a context where there has never been as much drug use in Europe, the aim of Pill-ID isn’t to stop young people using (which would be utopic), but to well and truly put technology at the service of good, by helping reduce drug overdoses and therefore ultimately help save lives. And we think it’s possible! Using technology that is already available (object recognition) mixed with the technology of machine Learning/tenserflow and the MDMA pill data base that already exists.

Pill-ID is an application project combining the technology of machine learning, tenserflow (a Google technology) and the Nuit Blanche data base, with the aim of helping young people and emergency services to quickly identify MDMA. By scanning a pill, or searching by colour or symbol, the user can rapidly identify a drug and understand the risks involved. For emergency services, this can help to identify what a person has taken before or during an overdose, allowing them to work more quickly and more effectively.

The use of Pill-ID is entirely free of charge and completely anonymous.

The MVP (minimum valuable product) version of Pill id was launched in July 2021 - and it’s still a work in progress.

The MVP (minimum valuable product) version was launched in July 2021. Since then, and because of enthusiasm from the various target groups (users, event organisers, emergency services, etc), a V2 of the app is in the process of being developed. It will be launched locally to help emergency services quickly identify drugs circulating in their area.

Long-term, the idea is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to use the app, particularly young people so they can identify what they’re about to take and be warned of the risks involved.

In the future, the project could take several forms:

- It could be linked to other more local databases and especially to the main emergency services in the area (the Red Cross) to reduce the time taken to arrive and effectively help them when they get there.

- The database could be open (through crowdfunding) to gather data more quickly about new drugs in circulation.

- The technology and the app could be made available for all types of pills (not just hard drugs) to help identify the right medication required (patients with Alzheimer’s to remember which pills they’ve taken and which they still need to take).

The ultimate goal of Pill-ID is to help save lives, even if it’s just one. To do this, and to find partners and financing, the idea would be to launch a V2 of the app that will initially be officially launched locally, and primarily to be used by teams of emergency service workers to help them more quickly identify the drugs circulating in the perimeter of their intervention areas. At a later stage, the idea is to provide as many people as possible with the opportunity to use Pill-ID, particularly young people so that they can identify what they’re about to take and be warned of the possible risks involved.