An innovation in wearable health technology allows an individual’s blood alcohol levels to be measured, with the collected results transmitted to a smartphone.
The device has been developed by researchers from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, based in California. The development involved engineers, scientists specializing in nanotechnology, and computer experts. The patch is small and it is designed to be fixed to the skin.
The science behind the wearable patch, which is formally called a “iontophoretic-biosensing temporary tattoo system”, is that it detects alcohol levels in perspiration. The patch, with resembles a tattoo, releases a chemical that stimulates perspiration on the skin. A second chemical measures changes in the electrical current flowing through the generated sweat and this allows alcohol levels to be recorded.
