A team of researchers at University of California San Diego (UCSD) have designed a ‘temporary tattoo’ that comes with an electronic sensor with the purpose of allowing drinkers to check their sobriety. The ‘temporary tattoo’ through the use of a magnetic chip causes the wearer to perspire. The sweat is then analyzed and sent to a phone using Bluetooth. The team imagines that the device could be useful for doctors and police officers in the future.
How it works?
The temporary tattoo is equipped with a magnetic circuit board which is essentially attached to the user’s skin. Silver chloride electrodes printed onto commercial tattoo paper then generate a small amount of current for about five minutes. The current delivers a drug called pilocarpine to the body which leads to generation of sweat on the user’s skin. The sweat is then analyzed by the electrochemical sensor for any alcohol or ethanol content that may be present. The results are then transmitted to the user’s phone via Bluetooth.
Tested:
This device has been successfully tested by nine healthy volunteers who wore the device on their arms before and after consuming alcohol. ‘On-body results with human subjects show distinct differences in the current response before and after alcohol consumption, reflecting the increase of ethanol levels,’ according to the results published in the journal ACS Sensors.
This is not the first time such a device is being incepted. Earlier this year, the US government awarded a $200,000 first prize to a San-Francisco-based company, BACtrack for developing the prototype of a wrist wearable that detects traces of alcohol diffusing through the skin.
While, transdermal alcohol monitors may not be a new thing, this new method promises to be a rather simpler alternative to testing alcohol levels.
