Smart ice prototype in action (vis Dhairya Dand and MIT)
Hitting the clubs or going to parties is a great way to socialize with friends, family and loved ones. The music starts playing, the drinks start flowing, and before you know it the festivities are in full swing. For some, keeping track of how much alcohol they’ve consumed isn’t a problem and for others they may have had too much without even realizing it (although falling down more so than usual should be a sign). For those who have difficulties keeping tabs on how many drinks they’ve consumed, can now look to their ice cubes for the answer.
Created by Dhairya Dand from MIT Media Lab, the smart ‘ice cubes’ (not actually made of ice) are not only capable of monitoring the alcohol flow but also send a text message to friends that your over the limit. The cubes flash three separate colors (much like a traffic light) depending on how much alcohol is consumed over time with green meaning you’re good to go, yellow suggests you should slow down and red signifying that your over the legal limit, and it text messages a designated friend that you shouldn’t operate heavy machinery (doesn’t actually say that). There are three cubes in all and each flashes one of three colors using a single LED. The driving circuit monitors each sip taken over a period of time. This circuit, equipped with an accelerometer (for sip monitoring), IR transceivers and battery, are integrated into a gelatin-based cube that’s edible (and apparently tasty). Simply make the gelatin mold, integrate the circuit and wait for the mold to set and your good to go (just don’t eat the electronics). An extra added feature; built into the cubes is their ability to react and flash to ambient sounds such as music for that extra party ‘flair’ that’s so sorely needed. There no information yet as to if or when these may come to the consumer market, so you’ll have to rely on simple math to get the same job done.
Cabe