New waterproof ice cubes measure and alert drinkers of alcohol levels.
Last year, a 20-something male at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was hospitalized following an alcohol-induced blackout. Following that experience, he worked in MIT's media lab creating a product dubbed, ‘Cheers’.
Essentially waterproof ice cubes, they house a device which measures the number of times a glass is raised to a person’s lips and a timer which makes an estimate of how drunk someone is. There is also an LED light which allows the cubes to light up red, yellow and green.
Green signifies a low number of drinks, yellow is a warning that alcohol levels are getting high and red is the signal to stop drinking. The cubes can even work with cell phones to send text messages if a person has had too much alcohol.
Last year, a company in Boston was in the news while raising funds to put a line of cups, stirrers and straws on the market which contain a material that changes colors when a date rape drug is placed into a drink. When the beverage is safe to drink, the cup remains clear, however if the drink is spiked with drugs, the cup showcases red, hazard lines.