Physical Wellness

Wristband Can Measure Alcohol Levels: Gadget Helps Alcoholics Stop Drinking

By Brian McNeill | Update Date: May 23, 2016 06:12 AM EDT

The new age of wearables have brought up a lot of possibilities, something most used these days to track their weight and heart-related concerns. Accuracy have sometimes been questioned though the fact of it all is that it opens up an advanced way to stay healthy.

Speaking of monitoring, a new wearable from BACtrack may offer something worth monitoring. The company located in San Francisco won a US government-sponsored competition with its alcohol-monitoring device which is simply worn on the wrist.

Their solution took home the $200,000 top prize in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Wearable Biosensor Challenge better known as the BACtrack Skyn.

The new solution stands called the ‘BACtrack Skyn’ to be a major breakthrough as it measures blood alcohol levels done through an individual’s sweat. The device has yet to be presented to the Food and Drug administration though the things that it could do offer something worth watching out for.

"It can help doctors accurately measure a patient's drinking history, and not just depend on the most recent tests," said Dr. George Koob, head of the NIH's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "This can help a lot with the treatment."

The call for such a technology has long been yearned for, something that could improve the devices used by law enforcement, medical and transportation groups to date. Nowadays, blood alcohol levels are measured with the aid of portable breath alcohol testers (PBTs).

With the BACtrack Skyn, concerned groups may finally get the advanced solution for such issues – not to mention something that people may eventually want to wear. Despite the new technology, the wearable does have a bit of limitations such as taking the place of breathalyzers or actual blood tests needed by authorities.

According to BACtrack president Keith Nothacker, the device would need about 45 minutes for ethanol to be transmitted through the skin and that the device is designed to provide a recent history of alcohol use. For the device to expand its use, more improvements will be needed.

For the company, this is not the first time that they have dipped their hand at addressing the alcohol-related issues. In 2013, the company did come out with the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyser, something that needs smartphone syncing to properly track blood alcohol content.

Will this new blood-alcohol monitoring wearable be a step in the right direction that can curb down alcohol-related incidents?

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