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Too drunk to drive? Check your electronic tattoo
By Don Reisinger, Don Reisinger
Published August 02, 2016
An England supporter carries beer shortly before a drinking ban comes into effect in Lille, France, June 14, 2016. (REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a special tattoo that will determine your intoxication level.
The technology, IEEE reports, is a temporary tattoo that can be slapped on the user's skin. It then analyzes sweat and communicates wirelessly with a smartphone or smartwatch to tell the user their blood alcohol level.
Their technology looks like a small circuit board that attaches to the skin with commercial tattoo paper. In that paper is silver and silver chloride electrodes that generate a small current, according to IEEE. The gel strip baked into the temporary tattoo then releases a drug that causes a person to sweat. Once the sweat comes to the skin, a sensor analyzes enzyme levels to determine a person's alcohol level.
According to IEEE, the tattoo is capable of communicating with smart devices via Bluetooth.
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Researchers successfully completed studies on their technology with nine volunteers. The readings fell in line with their blood alcohol readings.
Looking ahead, the researchers are bullish on the technology. While they acknowledge that the tattoos are not reusable, researchers are working on newer versions that could last longer. They're also working on a version that could track alcohol levels for 24 hours.
But perhaps most importantly from a business perspective, the device costs a few cents to make, so pricing to law enforcement, bars, and other establishments that might want the tattoos could be extremely cheap.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/tech/too-drunk-to-drive-check-your-electronic-tattoo