The inventors of the device say that it may help prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV by monitoring medication adherence in high-risk individuals.

"For HIV, it's been shown that if you don't take a very high percentage of your medication, you may as well not take medication at all," said Dr. Richard Melker, a professor of anaesthesiology at the UF College of Medicine and chief technology officer for Xhale.

Patients who take some but not all of their medication increase the likelihood the virus will mutate into a deadlier, drug-resistant form.

While experts have tried several ways to monitor drug adherence ranging from daily log books to blister packs that record the time each pill is dispensed, Melker said only one works well: directly observed therapy (DOT).

"If you have a disease that is deemed to be a public health risk, authorities can put you into a program where you have to come to the clinic every day and be observed putting the pill into your mouth and swallowing it," Melker said.

However, patients find that process inconvenient. Even clinic personnel find it difficult to track patients down when they fail to show up.

Melker says that tests with the new device suggest that it may help solve these problems.