This trial is designed to test the accuracy of a wristwatch blood alcohol level monitor relative to alcohol breath testing. An established human laboratory self-administration procedure will be followed. Each subject will complete 2 clinic visits over a period of up to 21 days of participation. Study participation is comprised of a baseline assessment to determine eligibility and an alcohol self-administration trial to test the accuracy of the wrist watch blood alcohol level. Subjects will be recruited in two phases of 9 subjects each. The first phase will be conducted to validate a prototype of the wrist watch. The second phase will be conducted to validate a pre-production consumer model of the blood alcohol wrist watch.
In this proposed study, the objective is to further demonstrate the reliability of this printed electrochemical gas sensor in the form of a wearable device. This demonstration of reliability among human subjects is an essential part of product development. The monitor will be in a wristband or watch form, similar to a smart watch. This device will be modern, attractive and comfortable. It will also have smart watch features including measuring key physiological parameters (e.g., pulse) and eventually will have connectivity to apps on smart phones and other devices. The aim of the work is to provide a new, noninvasive transdermal alcohol monitor into the market. The transdermal alcohol monitoring market has few wearable products available and innovation has been lacking in this field. This new product will take advantage of current trends in wearable technology. As the public becomes more comfortable with wearable sensors, the blood alcohol monitor will become popular with people interested in health and fitness who want to track their alcohol intake. The product will provide a new, highly reliable and sensitive method for tracking blood alcohol level. This may be particularly beneficial to individuals who seek to reduce the risk of alcohol use by limiting peak blood alcohol level. If successful, this technology could be adopted in many areas including clinical and medical treatment, employee wellness programs, alcohol clinical trials, and as part of brief interventions that target at-risk drinkers. The specific objective of this study is to determine whether the printed electrochemical gas sensor designed to measure blood alcohol level will be sensitive and reliable when compared to a standard measure of blood alcohol level taken by a breathalyzer. If this sensor proves sensitive to changes in blood alcohol level and can reliably measure blood alcohol level relative to a "gold standard" method, there are significant opportunities to use this technology in consumer health applications and clinical research.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
9
Subjects will wear a wristwatch with a sensor that measures blood alcohol level during a 1-hour period of consuming alcohol followed by a 5 hour observation period.
Boston University Psychiatry Research Center, Clinical Studies Unit
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Correlation Between Breathalyzer and Wristwatch Sensor BAL Measurements
Wristwatch sensor BAL is continuously measured for entirety of 6-hour alcohol self administration trial. BAL from breathalyzer (BrAC) is measured at 15-minute intervals throughout 6-hour alcohol self administration trial. The correlation between wristwatch transdermal BAL (TAC) and breathalyzer BAL (BrAC) for all subjects will be calculated.
Time frame: 6 hours during alcohol self administration trial
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