BACtrack Wins First Prize in “Wearable Alcohol Sensor Challenge” Issued by National Institutes of Health (NIH)

BACtrack Wins First Prize in “Wearable Alcohol Sensor Challenge” Issued by National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Today BACtrack was named as the winner of the top prize in the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) “Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge.” 

BACtrack will receive a $200,000 first prize award for our prototype, BACtrack Skyn. The device is worn on the wrist and offers continuous, real-time, and non-invasive monitoring of a user’s TAC (Transdermal Alcohol Content). Alcohol is detected and measured with transdermal monitoring, which tracks the ethanol molecules escaping through the skin. TAC samples are then converted into a history of a user’s BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) with BACtrack’s proprietary algorithm. BACtrack Skyn uses an electrochemical sensor and connects via Bluetooth to an app on a user’s smartphone.

The NIAAA issued its Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge through Challenge.gov in March 2015 with the goal of finding a discreet, non-evasive wearable device capable of measuring blood alcohol levels in near real-time. The challenge was to improve upon existing alcohol biosensor technology used in the criminal justice system and create an alternative for the alcohol research community, one that would decrease reliance upon participant self-reporting. 

“We are thrilled to win the Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge. We’re excited to bring BACtrack Skyn to market to aid researchers and treatment providers in collecting more reliable data and ultimately, make advances in healthcare treatment,” said Keith Nothacker, President and CEO of BACtrack.

In addition to helping researchers and clinicians collect reliable data in order to make advances in healthcare, a wearable alcohol sensor can offer tremendous value to individuals tracking their own drinking habits. For instance BACtrack Skyn can passively track alcohol consumption in real-time and sync with a user’s smartphone.

For instance, a user’s phone could vibrate to notify them that they're approaching 0.04 %BAC and remind them to slow down their drinking, or in the case of sobriety monitoring, a family member could receive a notification when a user’s BAC has gone above 0.00 %BAC.

BACtrack Skyn will be available in limited quantities in Q4 2016. To learn more and sign up to be among the first to purchase BACtrack Skyn visit BACtrack.com/skyn.