High Tech Tattoo Could Help Curb Alcohol Consumption

The Moxee Hop Festival gets underway at 5 pm this Friday and it is one great party!  It features lots of music, activities and entertainment and the occasional refreshing cold beverage – hey, it’s hops we're celebrating after all!  But the emphasis is on family fun and the festival's roots run back decades as a way to pay for a community swimming pool.

Still, many beers will be consumed and with a focus on safety, perhaps a new high tech tattoo is just the ticket.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have created a temporary tattoo that sticks to the skin with a flexible circuit board that attaches magnetically to the tattoo.

The electrodes can generate a small current for 5 minutes and the current causes a thin layer of gel on the tattoo to release a drug that causes the wearer to sweat. When the tattoo becomes moist from the sweat, an electrochemical sensor made of an alcohol-sensitive enzyme can measure alcohol concentration in the perspiration. The results of this are then transferred to a phone via Bluetooth and that’s the message that will tell you if you are over your limit or not.

Sounds pretty cool, huh? OR…you could bring your ex-spouse/significant other with you and they’ll be sure to let you know when they think you’ve had enough!

Whatever your method, have fun this weekend, drink responsibly and tune into the Morning News Thursday morning to hear the organizers outline the weekend events…and don’t forget to stop by our radio booth from 2 to 4 on Saturday to meet Sea Gals Melanie and Christian.

(Daily Mail)