A Wrist-band device for alcohol monitoring, developed by a San Francisco-based company has won the  U.S. Government sponsored competition with an wrist wearable alcohol monitoring devices. The invention will be proved as a milestone in the development of wearable technologies, which monitor and diagnose medical conditions.

The National Institutes of Health NIH) Wearable Biosensor Challenge has been won by BACtrack, a privately held medical device maker. It earned the $200,000 top prize with its wristband monitor in the competition. The device can measures blood alcohol levels via sweat on the skin.

The device named 'BACtrack Skyn' has not yet send to the Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval.

It is expected that the product will prove a valuable resource for alcohol research community, Dr. George Koob, head of the NIH's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said.

“It can help doctors accurately measure a patient’s drinking history, and not just depend on the most recent tests," Koob said. "This can help a lot with the treatment.”

Keith Nothacker, president of BACtrack, said that, “The blood alcohol monitoring devices used in legal and medical circles are big and bulky, like a ball and chain for the ones using it.”  “We wanted to make something people would want to wear."

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Nandini