NIH’s www.nih.gov National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) www.niaaa.nih.gov recently announced that the winner for the “Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge” a competition to design a discreet device capable of measuring blood alcohol levels in near real-time. BACtrack www.bactrack.com was the recipient of the $200,000 first prize.
The “Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge” issued through http://Challenge.gov in March 2015 called specifically for non-invasive wearable technology that could improve existing alcohol biosensor technology used in the criminal justice system.
BACtrack is a company known nationally for designing and selling portable breath alcohol testers for consumer and professional use. Their entry, the “BACtrack Skyn” to be available in limited quantities in Q4 2016, is worn on the wrist and offers continuous and non-invasive monitoring of a user’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). Alcohol is detected using a fuel cell technology similar to that in devices used by law enforcement for roadside alcohol testing.
The second prize for $100,000 was awarded to Milo, a Santa Barbara technology startup for their design of a wrist-worn wearable that is able to pair with a smartphone and uses disposable cartridges to continuously track blood alcohol content.
Entries were judged based on accuracy, reliability, and frequency of blood alcohol measurement, ability to accurately collect, store data, transmit data to a wireless device, and provide data security. The designs were also evaluated for marketability, appeal to wearers plus overall feasibility.
Since wearable technology is becoming more popular, NIAAA hopes that the “Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge” will stimulate public and private investment in alcohol-monitoring devices. Well-calibrated alcohol biosensors will provide an objective measure of alcohol consumption for research studies and help therapists use the discreet device without stigma.