Researchers from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have invented a temporary tattoo-style patch that can detect the level of alcohol in a wearer’s system and send it directly to their phone or smartwatch.
The patch uses commercial tattoo-paper fitted with silver electrodes that creates a five-minute long current, which triggers a gel strip that releases a drug to induce sweat. Once the sweat comes into contact with the electrodes, it is able to gauge the level of alcohol in the wearers system, and sends the results to their phones or watches, according to a Wednesday Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Spectrum (IEEE) article.
“Right now, the tattoo is designed for one-time use,” Patrick Mercier, electrical and computer engineering professor at UCSD, told IEEE. “Place, detect, dispose.”
Researchers fitted nine volunteers with the patch both before and after consuming alcohol, and the results were an accurate reflection of alcohol levels in their systems.
There are other ways to assess alcohol levels, but both have drawbacks. Testing blood is the most accurate way to assess whether someone is drunk, but it is extremely invasive because it requires a finger-prick. This new technology would allow law enforcement the ability to accurately gauge the concentration of alcohol in someones system through non-invasive means.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:tatoosnation.com)
