“Cheers”- an alcohol intake monitoring ice cube

There is a new way to way to monitor intoxication: an ice cube called “Cheers.” The ice cube changes color according to how much alcohol you’ve consumed and alerts friends when you’ve consumed too much. The LED inside the cube will light up in green, yellow or red. (The initial version requires the user to use all 3 cubes, one in each color.) Green signals a first drink; yellow is a warning that your alcohol level is getting high. Red is a warning to stop drinking — you’ve probably had too much. The ice cube also glows along with the surrounding bar music.

How does it work? It contains an accelerometer that keeps track of how many sips you take, coupled with a timer to estimate your level of intoxication. These devices are molded into a waterproof ice cube shape and a material that can be frozen to function as a regular ice cube.

Wait! There’s more! The cubes can even send a text message to friends if the person drinking needs help. The Cheers cube communicates over IR [infrared] with a custom removable IR receiver fitted on your smartphone’s audio jack.

And, there is a free bonus. Dhairya Dand (the inventor and an MIT student) considers his invention “shareware” and is willing to share his technology with other inventors, who might be able to add new and exciting features to Cheers.