Here s an interesting idea: a set of underwear that can sense when a person smokes. Although this may not sound real, the National Institutes of Health actually awarded the University of Alabama two grants, totaling about $400,000 to make this project a reality.
This money was used for two separate studies. One study involved bringing individuals into the lab and fitting them with a sensor that tracked daily activities such as physical activity and eating, as well as smoking. The goal of the study was to determine whether the sensor could differentiate cigarette smoking from the other activities, which it could. The second study, which has not yet been analyzed, had individuals wear the sensor for a full day.
The Personal Automatic Cigarette Tracker will measure when a person smokes, as well as how deeply they are inhaling. Currently, the device is a very early prototype, that fits like a vest with multiple straps and wires, far from the non-invasive, wearable underwear the project developers had in mind. They hope to evolve the device to a point where it simply consists of an elastic band, similar to heart rate monitors.
Researchers hope that this device will eventually be used to provide information in designing new smoking cessation strategies. Right now, researchers rely on self-report data, requiring individual to detail how many cigarettes they smoke, when they smoke and how many puffs they take.
ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan comments: This does seem like a pretty crazy idea to the point of being humorous. I never thought that this basic garment would be the future of designing smoking cessation programs. In reality, if researchers could design something that would take away the need for relying on self-report data, which is often inaccurate, it would be very helpful. But, isn t it ironic that we have other effective smoking cessation and harm reduction strategies like e-cigarettes available to us that are being suppressed. Wouldn t it be more beneficial to spend the money investing in learning about those strategies?
