Communications of the ACM
Flexible Wearable Electronic Skin Patch Offers New Way to Monitor Alcohol Levels
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a wearable sensor that measures a person's blood alcohol level from sweat and wirelessly transmit the data to a laptop, smartphone, or other mobile device.
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) researchers have developed a sensor that can accurately monitor alcohol level within 15 minutes.
The sensor is designed to measure a person's blood alcohol level from sweat and wirelessly transmit the data to a laptop, smartphone, or other mobile device.
The researchers note the device is flexible, can be worn on the skin, and could be used by doctors and police officers for continuous, non-invasive, and real-time monitoring of blood alcohol content.
The technology consists of a temporary "tattoo" that sticks to the skin, induces sweat, and electrochemically detects the alcohol level. The device also includes a portable flexible electronic circuit board connected to the tattoo by a magnet, which can communicate the information to a mobile device via Bluetooth.
Researchers tested the alcohol sensor on nine healthy volunteers who wore the tattoo on their arms before and after consuming an alcoholic beverage, and found the readouts accurately reflected the wearers' blood alcohol concentrations.
"What's also innovative about this technology is that the wearer doesn't need to be exercising or sweating already," notes UCSD professor Patrick Mercier. "The user can put on the patch and within a few minutes get a reading that's well correlated to his or her blood alcohol concentration."
From UC San Diego News Center
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