The smart stick-on tattoo that can monitor your alcohol levels


  • Monitor a wearer’s sweat to test blood alcohol levels
  • Links to a smartphone app to show users their results
  • Can be adapted to be used by police and doctors to monitor people 

Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com

36

View
comments

A new smart stick on tattoo will be able to monitor exactly how much a person is drinking.

The flexible patch can detect a person’s blood-alcohol level from their sweat.

It can even message doctors and even police if the wearer drinks too much. 

Scroll down for video 

The flexible patch can detect a person’s blood-alcohol level from their sweat. It can even message doctors and even police if the wearer drinks too much.

CURRENT SENSORS 

In the U.S., one person dies every 53 minutes in an alcohol-related car accident, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently, ignition interlock devices are being marketed as a way to prevent drunk drivers from starting a car engine. 

But these are based on breath analysis, which can be affected by a number of factors including humidity, temperature and whether someone has used mouthwash.

 The monitor, reported in the journal ACS Sensors, works quickly and can send results wirelessly to a smartphone or other device.

Recent research has demonstrated that sweat can be a more reliable real-time indicator of blood alcohol content. 

At least two transdermal sensors have been developed to measure alcohol levels in sweat, but users have to wait up to 2 hours for results. 

Joseph Wang, Patrick Mercier and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, set out to make a more practical version.

With temporary-tattoo paper, the researchers developed a patch that tests blood alcohol content non-invasively in three rapid steps. 

It induces sweat by delivering a small amount of the drug pilocarpine across the skin. 

An enzymatic reaction leads to the electrochemical detection of the alcohol content.

And a flexible electronic circuit board transmits the data via a Bluetooth connection to a mobile device or laptop. 

With temporary-tattoo paper, the researchers developed a patch that tests blood alcohol content non-invasively in three rapid steps.

The steps take less than 8 minutes from start to finish. 

In addition to connecting to vehicles’ ignition interlock systems, the sensor could be a simple tool for bartenders, friends or law enforcement to use, the researchers say.

 

Most watched News videos



  • Terrifying video of evacuation of Emirates plane after crash landing



  • Dog launches into water after being taken out by Slip ‘n’ Slide



  • Britney Spears invades Jimmy kimmel’s home with her dancers



  • Man goes on wild racist rant inside a Dallas Target store



  • Moment hero bystander helps cops tackle suspect to ground



  • Murray hilariously struggles as bearer at Team GB photoshoot



  • Eyewitness footage shows ‘Russell Square attacker’



  • Mother bear and her two cubs play adorably in Lake Tahoe



  • Royals record special message wishing GB athletes good luck



  • Watch ‘Pinky’ the dancing Flamingo twirl in place



  • Shocking moment Emirates plane bursts into flames in Dubai



  • Cocoa the dog really couldn’t care less about a game of fetch


Comments (36)

Share what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Find out now