Buzz alcohol bracelet tracks ability to give consent

A Fitbit-style bracelet that monitors blood alcohol levels has been unveiled which can be used to indicate to potential partners whether the wearer is fit to give consent, and alert friends if they could be vulnerable.

The Buzz comes from the same design studio that created the FitBit – New Deal Design – and is a wearable wristband that contains a sensor that monitors blood-alcohol concentration through the skin.

As well as being a safety device, it’s also intended to have a social aspect, with Buzz users able to “bump handshake” with each other to exchange their capacity-state information and sync up for the night.

If they slip into the “red zone” and lose the capacity to consent, their partner will get an alert, along with a network of friends using a synced phone app.

Users can share information, such as their location, with a circle of friends via the phone app, while two different users can sync-up and share information for the night, allowing friend to keep an eye on each other’s level of intoxication and potential vulnerability.

Should a date take a turn for the worse, users can also send a ‘panic signal’ to friends in their network.

“We wanted the system to intervene a lot earlier in the story of the night and create a positive tool for partners to start having a discussion about capacity to consent a lot earlier,” Gadi Amit, head of design at New Deal, told Dezeen.

“The device allows one person to check whether another is not too drunk and be aware that they be crossing the line of the capacity to consent.

“We’re not claiming that this is the answer that will save the world from all sexual assault, but it could be a very good tool for preventing some of them.”