New Smartphone App Accurately Monitors Intoxication Levels

Aug. 22: In a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, researchers introduce a new method of monitoring blood alcohol levels with an app that relies on data provided by accelerometers that come built-in with nearly all currently available smartphones.

Building on past research that correlated the number of drinks a person has had with changes in his/her gait, the team enrolled 22 volunteers and measured their height and weight to determine what level of alcohol intake would be necessary for them to achieve significant intoxication, defined as 0.08 BrAC (breath alcohol concentration).

Next, the participants were asked to consume their allotment of alcohol – served in the form of a vodka gimlet – within an hour, and underwent walking trials (10 steps forward and 10 steps back) every hour for seven hours with their smartphones strapped to their lower backs.

After correlating the collected gait data with measurements of blood alcohol levels taken throughout the study period, the researchers were able to accurately predict whether a participant was at or above 0.08 BrAC based on gait alone with 92% accuracy.

According to the research team, the next step will be to conduct further studies in more realistic environments using larger pools of volunteers and figure out a way to effectively communicate signals of intoxication.

“I have spent the past 10-plus years designing and testing communication-based strategies to help individuals make better choices related to alcohol consumption,” said lead researcher Brian Suffoletto. “The biggest challenge in my mind is how to get someone who is already impaired with alcohol to respond to supportive messaging.”

Even though Suffoletto does not expect the app to be used for locking people out of their cars upon detecting alcohol intoxication, there could be other potential benefits:

“Time will tell, but I expect in the US that we will not find it acceptable for our cars to tell us when we can or cannot safely drive them,” Suffoletto explained. “We might however in circumstances where our car insurance is $50 less per month if we agree to this sort of monitoring.”

If all goes according to plan, the app might become available as soon as next year. technology.org