BACtrack is a San Francisco that makes breathalyzers for police and anyone else who wants to keep track of their intoxication level, but thanks to a recent grant from the National Institutes of Health it has come up with a new wearable monitoring device.

Like a Fitbit for booze, the Skyn device detects alcohol in a more discreet way than stuffing a tube into one’s mouth and blowing. It allows users to track their own consumption both in semi-real time (a bit of a delay for the alcohol to get processed and manifest in sweat) and, more importantly: over time in general (versus a one-time blow), to analyze drinking behavior and intoxication as a function of duration as well as intensity.

Among other things, Skyn can warn you if you’re drinking too much to drive, or let a family member or friend know (via alerts) if you’ve broken a personal sobriety pledge. BACtrack’s transdermal alcohol sensing prototype device is made to be subtle and cool, something people will want to wear – they considered anklets and other placements, but wrists gave the best real-time monitoring and seemed most convenient to users.

The prototypes was submitted to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a division of the NIH that ran a Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge in search of a non-invasive monitoring wearable. Other entries included a color-changing tattoo and various wrist-mounted devices. The gadget is now waiting on FDA approval before starting pre-orders.

The post Cold Sweat: Wristband Wearable Measures Blood Alcohol first appeared on Gajitz.

Brand new cars have all kinds of incredible “smart” features, but for those of us who can’t afford to upgrade our rides at the moment the Car Connection from Audiovox provides some of the same functions for a fraction of the cost of a new car. The little device plugs into the car’s OBD-II port, which is standard on all cars produced in 1996 and after. With it, you can keep track of your driving performance, stay on top of needed maintenance, and make your car into a no-phone zone.

The device can give you feedback on your driving via your smartphone or computer. It tracks data like fuel consumption and driver performance, then builds reports based on that data. This function is ideal for keeping track of how your newly-licensed teen is doing on the road without you, or monitoring an elderly relative’s safety on the streets. The device will give you tips on fuel economy and safe driving habits.

The Car Connection can do all sorts of other cool tricks, like blocking cell phone usage inside the car. It can set up a kind of virtual safety boundary of your choosing, so if Grandpa decides to take your car for a joyride across state lines the device will notify you. If your car is ever stolen (or if you forget where you parked it in a massive parking lot), you can look up the car’s exact location instantly.

You can even run reports on the car’s current health and necessary preventative maintenance like brakes and tire pressure. The price tag seems kind of reasonable when you compare it to the cost of buying a new car: $170 purchase price, $20 activation, and a monthly fee of $10 (or a $90 for a year).

The post Simple Gadget Plugs Into Car to Make it Instantly Smarter first appeared on Gajitz.

Frequent trips to the doctor and invasive poking and prodding could soon be relics of the past if this fascinating little device makes it to the market as planned. The tiny medical monitor, measuring just 14mm (or a smidge over half an inch), can be implanted under the skin to perform remote monitoring of patients.

Whether the patient is suffering from diabetes or being treated with chemotherapy, the miniature medical lab takes note of the levels of relevant substances in the body. Using Bluetooth, the chip could then send timely and important notifications to a patient’s doctor via cell phone.

The device is powered via a small patch that is worn on the outside of the skin. The patch transmits power wirelessly through the skin, eliminating the need for a battery built into the implant itself, which allows for its tiny size.

In addition to monitoring the body’s chemical levels, the device could also provide early warning of impending health emergencies like heart attacks. The sensors which measure relevant substances can currently only operate for about six weeks before the chip needs to be replaced, but that is long enough for plenty of applications. Future iterations will undoubtedly have longer possible lifespans. Scientist Giovanni de Micheli, who headed up the effort, says the implants could be on the market within just four years.

The post Tiny Medical Lab Will Measure Health From Under Your Skin first appeared on Gajitz.