We’ve seen a few different devices that can accurately measure blood alcohol content and send that information to a companion app. All of them, however, analyze user’s breath to take the readings.

That’s not the case with BACtrack Skyn, which has just won a U.S. government-sponsored competition with an alcohol monitoring device that can be worn on the wrist. The company behind the product took the $200,000 top prize in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Wearable Biosensor Challenge with its wristband monitor that measures blood alcohol levels via sweat on the skin.

BACtrack Skyn took the $200,000 top prize in the NIH Wearable Biosensor Challenge.“The blood alcohol monitoring devices used in legal and medical circles are big and bulky, like a ball and chain for the ones using it,” said Keith Nothacker, president of BACtrack. “We wanted to make something people would want to wear.”

Nothacker added that it takes about 45 minutes for ethanol to be transmitted through the skin, and that the device is designed to provide a recent history of alcohol use. In that sense, BACtrack Skyn cannot be a substitute for breathalyzers or blood tests used by law enforcement; also, it has yet to be submitted to the FDA for marketing approval. However, the device can be used by doctors to accurately measure a patient’s drinking history.

Sounds promising and we’re sure that at some point in the future, we’ll see multiple wrist-worn activity trackers adding BAC reading capabilities to their ever growing list of features. We’re still unsure, however, when BACtrack Skyn will be released…

[Via: VentureBeat]