BACtrack, a smart breathalyzer device, recently was awarded as the winner of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA) “Wearable Alocohol Biosensor Challenge”.

BACtrack receives the $200,000 first prize award for its prototype,BACtrack Skyn. The device is worn on the wrist and offers continuous, real-time, and non-invasive monitoring of a user’s TAC (Transdermal Alcohol Content). Alcohol is detected and measured with transdermal monitoring, which tracks the ethanol molecules escaping through the skin. TAC samples are then converted into a history of a user’s BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) with BACtrack’s proprietary algorithm. BACtrack Skyn uses an electro-chemical sensor and connects via Bluetooth to an app on a user’s smartphone.

“We are thrilled to win the Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge. We’re excited to bring BACtrack Skyn to market to aid researchers and treatment providers in collecting more reliable data and ultimately, make advances in healthcare treatment,” said Keith Nothacker, President and CEO of BACtrack.

“At the same time, we want to do for wearable alcohol monitors what we did for breath alcohol testers. Early on, breathalyzers were big and bulky and only available for law enforcement. BACtrack made breathalyzers low-cost, sleek, and a safety product that anyone can and should use. We have the same vision for BACtrack Skyn,” concluded Nothacker.

The device will be available throughout 2016 but in limited quantities.