Expanding on the menu of products to help people quit smoking, researchers from Case Western Reserve University are hoping to introduce sensor technology to the list of available options.

The research team has developed an automatic alert system that relies on sensors and a smart-phone app to prevent smokers from lighting up. The system works when wearable sensors detect particular arm movements and body motions suggestive of smoking. Once detected, the smart phone app automatically texts the wearer short video messages meant to encourage the smoker to stop or about the health risks they will encounter if they don't stop.

Although wearable technology has been used in the battle against addiction, Case Western Reserve researchers may be the first to test a system that includes an online platform training, a personalized smoking plan for quitting, two armband sensors and a personalized texting service meant to discourage smoking.

"We've been able to differentiate between a single motion, which could be confused with eating or drinking, and a sequence of motions more clearly linked to the act of smoking a cigarette," said Ming-Chun Huang, an assistant electrical engineering and computer science professor who led the technical aspect of the study.

"The field of tobacco control has really adopted mobile technologies because many people won't come in for therapy," said Monica Webb Hooper of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We were interested in translating one of our programs into a video-based mobile application, but the motion sensors made this even more amazing."

The research is detailed in the journal Smart Health.