Wearables are getting more and more popular, as fitness trackers and smart watches creep slowly towards the mainstream.
Now a new device from San Francisco-based firm BACtrack has demonstrated yet another use for wearable technology.
Skyn is a wristband which can detect your blood alcohol level by measuring the ethanol molecules escaping through your skin.
The device offers real-time monitoring of your TAC (Transdermal Alcohol Content), converting TAC samples into a timeline of your BAC (Blood Alcohol Content).
It also connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing you to keep track of your intake.
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Due to the fact that it takes 45 minutes for alcohol to be transmitted through the skin, the wristband can’t be used in place of a breathalyser.
But the BAC record created by Skyn could prove invaluable for doctors, and even authorities who want to monitor someone’s alcohol intake.
All of which might sound like the beginning of some dystopian nightmare, but the National Institute of Health in the US certainly doesn’t think so.
BACtrack, which usually makes breathalysers for both law enforcement and consumers, won the National Institutes of Health’s Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge with its latest invention, claiming a $200,000 prize.
The company says it will make a limited amount of the wearable devices available later this year, although it’s yet to be submitted to the relevant authorities for approval according to Reuters.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
