Actively Recruiting

Age: 21Years +
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers
ID05692830

Towards a Wearable Alcohol Biosensor: Examining the Accuracy of BAC Estimates From New-Generation Transdermal Technology Using Large-Scale Human Testing and Machine Learning Algorithms

Led by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · Updated on 2025-08-06

240

Participants Needed

1

Research Sites

56 weeks

Total Duration

On this page

Sponsors

U

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Lead Sponsor

N

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborating Sponsor

AI-Summary

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the accuracy of new wearable alcohol biosensors that measure blood alcohol concentration (BAC) through the skin. This study focuses on adults who drink alcohol at least twice a week and aims to understand how well these transdermal sensors estimate alcohol consumption and drinking risk levels in real-world and controlled laboratory settings. The study also uses machine learning to improve sensor readings by accounting for environmental factors that may affect measurements. Participants will undergo three laboratory alcohol-administration sessions spaced one week apart, where they will consume alcohol at different doses targeting peak BAC levels of .03%, .06%, and .09%. The rate of alcohol consumption is varied between participants, with some drinking faster and others slower. During these sessions, participants will wear transdermal devices and provide breathalyzer readings every 10 minutes. They will also experience environmental tests such as exposure to common alcohol-containing products, light exercise to induce sweating, and arm movements to assess sensor accuracy. Alongside, participants will wear biosensors continuously for 14 days in their daily lives, providing breathalyzer readings prompted randomly and by themselves via smartphone. Throughout the 14-day ambulatory period, participants will be trained on device use and standard drink reporting. Final laboratory visits include equipment return and questionnaires about the sensor experience and willingness to use such technology in the future. Researchers will collect data on transdermal estimates of alcohol consumption, drinking risk, and BAC over the study period. The total participation includes orientation, three lab sessions, ambulatory monitoring, and study close-out over two weeks.

CONDITIONS

Brief Title

Towards a Wearable Alcohol Biosensor: Examining the Accuracy of BAC Estimates From New-Generation Transdermal Technology Using Large-Scale Human Testing and Machine Learning Algorithms

Who Can Participate

Age: 21Years +
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

You may qualify if you...

  • 21 years or older
  • Drink alcohol at least 2 times weekly
Not Eligible

You will not qualify if you...

  • Psychological or medical conditions that might contraindicate alcohol administration
  • History of adverse reaction to the type and amount of beverage used in the study
  • Currently seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder
  • Does not drink alcohol regularly
  • Taking drugs or medications for which alcohol consumption would be contraindicated
  • Women who are pregnant or are attempting to become pregnant

AI-Screening

AI-Powered Screening

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Your Study Journey

Screening

Duration - 2 to 4 weeks

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.

1 visit (in-person)

Laboratory Alcohol-Administration Sessions

Duration - 2 weeks

Participants attend three laboratory sessions to consume alcohol at different doses and rates while wearing transdermal sensors and undergoing environmental manipulations to test device accuracy.

3 visits (in-person) at day 0, day 7, and day 14

Ambulatory Assessment

Duration - 14 days

Participants wear transdermal devices and provide breathalyzer readings in everyday settings, responding to random and user-initiated prompts via smartphones.

Continuous monitoring with multiple breathalyzer readings prompted during this period

Final Laboratory Session and Equipment Return

Duration - 1 day

Participants return study equipment and complete questionnaires reflecting on their experience using the transdermal sensors.

1 visit (in-person) on day 14

Trial Site Locations

Total: 1 location

1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois, United States, 61820

Actively Recruiting

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Research Team

C

Catharine Fairbairn, PhD

How is the study designed?

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Masking

N/A

Allocation

N/A

Model

N/A

Primary Purpose

N/A

Number of Arms

0

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Published Research Related To This Trial

Continuous objective monitoring of alcohol use: twenty-first century measurement using transdermal sensors.

Thad R Leffingwell, Nathaniel J Cooney, James G Murphy...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22823467

Using machine learning for real-time BAC estimation from a new-generation transdermal biosensor in the laboratory.

Catharine E Fairbairn, Dahyeon Kang, Nigel Bosch

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32853998