Competition opens for wearables capable of detecting blood-alcohol levels

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is holding a competition to develop technology for wearable devices to measure blood-alcohol levels in real time. The first-place prototype winners will be awarded $200,000, with $100,000 going to second place.

“I expect tangible breakthroughs in real-time alcohol-sensing technology through this competition,” said NIAAA Director George F. Koob, MD. “Creative solutions could include the adaptation and miniaturization of technologies such as spectroscopy or wave technology or other designs. I think we can build on the success of our first challenge, which made important strides in improving transdermal alcohol sensing.”

The guidelines for the ideal prototype state that the ideal device would be able to measure alcohol concentration in blood or interstitial fluid, instead of the conventional technology that measures through sweat or vapor. Designed to find a tool to help researchers is measuring more accurate data, the competition hopes to eventually aid in the understanding and treatment of patients with alcohol abuse disorders as well as liver disease and HIV/AIDS.

“We have learned that there is real interest in the private sector around wearable alcohol biosensors, and that innovation using distinct means of alcohol detection are on the horizon,” said Kathy Jung, PhD, director of NIAAA’s Division of Metabolism and Health Effects and co-leader of the competition. “We want to continue to harness the power of the private sector, because if alcohol biosensors become a part of the ‘wearable toolbox,’ tangible new opportunities will become available that will profoundly affect the field of alcohol research.”

Submissions of a wearable prototype that provides data functionality and photos/videos will be accepted until May 15, 2017. Judging will conclude July 26, 2017, with winners announced in August 2017.