We've all had those moments where we are talking about something in a casual conversation and then we go to look at our phone and get served up ads about the subject we were discussing. Well, it may go even further than that. If you've been drinking, your phone knows.
To be clear, it's not just because of all those drunk texts you may or may not send. A new study found your phone can actually detect if you’re under the influence – by the changes in the way you walk. Yeah, like a portable field sobriety test.
Clearly the potential to use this technology to cut down on DUIs and other alcohol-related incidents is huge.
“We have powerful sensors we carry around with us wherever we go,” says researcher Brian Suffoletto, who is also an emergency room doctor. “We need to learn how to use them to best serve public health.”
Dr. Suffoletto has made it his mission to study ways to reduce alcohol-related deaths, and the reason is personal. “I lost a close friend to a drinking and driving crash in college,” he says. “And as an emergency physician, I have taken care of scores of adults with injuries related to acute alcohol intoxication. Because of this, I have dedicated the past 10 years to testing digital interventions to prevent deaths and injury related to excessive alcohol consumption.”
Learn more about the study HERE.