Alcohol-monitoring Wristband Wins Top Health Wearable Prize

A San Francisco-based company has won a US government-sponsored competition with an alcohol monitoring device that can be worn on the wrist, the latest milestone in the development of wearable technologies that monitor and diagnose medical conditions.

 

BACtrack, a privately held medical device maker, took the $200,000 top prize in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Wearable Biosensor Challenge with its wristband monitor, which measures blood alcohol levels via sweat on the skin.

The product, dubbed BACtrack Skyn, has not yet been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval.