Scientists from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan have built a prototype device that measures real-time changes in blood alcohol levels using commercial earmuffs.

The modified commercial earmuffs reportedly collect gas via the skin of a person’s ears and an ethanol vapor sensor is applied to detect ethanol vapors. Once the sensor detects ethanol vapors, light is released and its intensity enables ethanol concentrations to be measured.

Scientists developed a pair of earmuffs that can measure a person's blood alcohol content. Source: Koji Toma, et al./Scientific Reports

The device was tested on three male participants who drank alcohol for more than two hours. The participants’ blood alcohol levels were measured using both the modified earmuffs and an ethanol vapor sensor that measured blood alcohol levels in the participants’ breath at regular intervals.

According to the team of scientists, the measurements taken via the earmuffs and the breath sensor yielded similar blood alcohol measurements.

In addition to being used as a non-invasive alternative for standard breathalyzers, the earmuff device could also potentially be used for disease screening.

The research appears in the journal Scientific Reports.