Smart Necklace Helps Smokers Kick The Addiction Once And For All

In the US, a sobering 480,000 deaths (roughly one in five people) can be traced back to smoking-related health issues. More than US$600 billion was spent on this sector of healthcare in 2018 alone. Needless to say, it is a habit that has no good outcomes. 
 
Unfortunately, quitting something as addictive as tobacco may not always be successful for some. So when nicotine patches and meditation, and a lifestyle change doesn't work, will this smart necklace be able to do the job?
 
The ‘SmokeMon’ is a project from Northwestern University as part of a study to get people to stave off tobacco for good. Relapses in individuals can be common, and the university has noticed that those who return to smoking after some time may find it harder to quit again.
 
The necklace is also the first to track heat instead of visuals when monitoring a person.
 
So how does it help? Well, firstly, the necklace tracks a person’s habits when smoking. This includes when a cigarette is being lit, the duration of puffs, how much smoke is inhaled, and the time between each hit. The team refers to these indexes as “smoking topography.” Next, the data collected is mapped to determine how harmful carbon monoxide exposure is among smokers and to give insight into its relation to diseases, including lung cancer, stroke, heart and lung disease, and chronic bronchitis, to name a few.
 
The next thing it does is actually to help people quit the habit. The smoking topography steps up here in aiding the team to understand people who relapse. It’s hard to determine whether a few puffs or a few sticks could send someone into a full relapse. By studying individuals, SmokeMon can figure out how addicted a person is and when to get them to call a health coach.
 
For one person, taking one puff may not affect them, and for another, it could send them spiraling again. Understanding where an individual stands on this could help them avoid triggers and deal with cravings.
 
Right now, SmokeMon works best with traditional tobacco cigarettes, but the team hopes to include e-cigarettes, bongs, and other substances. Additionally, the team has opened their findings to the public on GitHub to reach a wider community and accelerate the project.

The research was first published in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable, and Ubiquitous Technologies.
 
 
 
[via Digital Trends and Northwestern University, Photo 178924237 © Ritthichai Wisetchat | Dreamstime.com]