A New Study Found That Wearable Sensors May Be Able To Predict Negative Outcomes Caused By Drinking
Keeping track of how much you drink during a night out may sound easy enough. But, it can be challenging to discern exactly how much alcohol is in each drink coupled with your body’s personalized reaction to alcohol.
Plus, an intoxicated guess is rarely the most accurate.
Instead, researchers at Penn State’s Department of Biobehavioral Health have studied how wearable sensors may be the answer.
By using ankle bracelets, the team was able to measure blood alcohol concentration. And, the sensors’ technology only needed to sense a tiny amount of sweat to work.
Transdermal alcohol-concentration sensors can measure alcohol concentration through a person’s skin.
While some might compare this technology to a breathalyzer, these sensors actually report much more data.
By wearing a sensor, your peak intoxication level will be recorded, as well as the rate at which you become intoxicated. Finally, you can also see how much alcohol was in your system and for exactly how long.
And the best part about these sensors is that they operate passively. Breathalyzers and other methods require cooperation, which can be difficult when an individual is intoxicated.
This method can also be inconvenient or invasive. Instead, the sensors require no cooperation or work from the individual. All you have to do is simply wear the bracelet.
chika_milan – stock.adobe.com
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
The study also discusses how knowing your limits is not always a full-proof plan. In other words, just because an individual felt okay after five drinks on a Friday, those five drinks may very well result in an alternate outcome on Saturday.
This alternate consequence is because an individual’s intoxication level is not solely dependent on the amount of alcohol consumed.
Instead, various other factors are at play– like the time between drinks consumed and how much an individual has eaten prior.
So, instead of guessing about peak intoxication levels, lead researcher Michael Russell hopes his study demonstrates the importance of sensors in risk avoidance.
“By using wearable technology to predict alcohol-related consequences– which range from automobile accidents to hangovers to missing work to sexual assault and beyond– we can begin to prevent alcohol-related consequences. Our research shows that wearable sensors can be used to help people understand when their drinking is becoming risky,” Russell said.
People can already check their heart rate, sleeping patterns, and more with wearable sensors like the FitBit and Apple Watch. Alcohol-safety technology might be the next logical step in wearable tech.
To read the complete scientific study, visit the link here.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.
More About:Human Interest
