A Tattoo That Stops You From Getting Drunk, Not One You Get When Drunk

Sept. 7, 2016

UCSD researchers have devised a tattoo that works with a smartphone to help users keep tabs on their alcohol consumption.

Worried that the lampshade is looking just a little too tempting to wear as a hat? Researchers have come up with a temporary tattoo that works with your smartphone to keep tabs on alcohol levels, giving you a heads up if you’re getting too inebriated.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have devised a temporary, tattoo-style patch that acts as a monitoring system, measuring alcohol levels in sweat and sending the results to a smartphone or smartwatch. The research project, done as part of the National Institute of Health’s Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge, consists of the temporary tattoo that rests on the skin and a flexible electronic board about the size of a stick of gum that attaches to the tattoo.

Currently, the tattoo is designed for one-time use, but the team is working on a new model that could continuously track alcohol levels for 24 hours. Not a bad way to keep those after work happy hours in check.

About the Author

Beth Stackpole, contributing writer

Contributing Editor, Automation World

Beth Stackpole is a veteran journalist covering the intersection of business and technology, from the early days of personal computing to the modern era of digital transformation. As a contributing editor to Automation World, Beth's coverage traverses a range of industries and technologies, including AI/machine learning, analytics, automation hardware and software, cloud, security, edge computing, and supply chain. In addition to her high-tech and business journalism work, Beth writes an array of custom editorial content and thought leadership pieces.