CES 2015: The BACTrack Vio is a Smartphone Breathalyzer

Where better than Vegas to test your blood alcohol level?

Let's raise the stakes; where better than CES to check your blood alcohol content (BAC) through your mobile phone?

Enter the BACTrack Vio, the plug-in smartphone Breathalyzer, featuring wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and an app allowing you to track your BAC results over time.

Using a semiconductor sensor as a base, the company's MicroCheck sensors purportedly go through a patented burn-in process that is meant to equalize the response and result in a higher level of performance when compared to standard semiconductor sensors.

The company says the device was designed with a flip-up mouthpiece to collect a high-quality breath sample, for more reliable results. A user's breath goes into the Breathalyzer and ambient air, fumes, and other airborne gases are kept out. The folding mouthpiece pulls out during testing and slides back down for storage.

Compatible with "most iPhone and Android devices" the Vio is pretty small and can even be clipped onto a keychain.

With a warm-up time of 10 seconds, the app requires users to breathe into it for five seconds, before shooting out your results. The app also gives you a "zeroline" estimate, letting you know when it believes your BAC will get back to 0.00% again, hopefully allowing your drunk self to make some smarter decisions about whether or not to get behind a wheel. (Smart tip... if you've had a drink... don't.)

Also seen at CES 2015

BACTrack can even save and track BAC results over time, including optional photos, notes, and drink logs. These can be made public on social media if a person chooses, though, personally, I'm unclear about who would want to share their results publicly and even less clear about who would want to see their friends' BAC results on Facebook or Twitter. That's a little TMI (Too much information) in my opinion. But it's great if you're looking to have a lot of people unfriend you really fast!

The company, however, claims it could be a good way to "spark a dialog about responsible drinking."

If you're in the gambling mood -- and let's face it, in Vegas, who isn't? -- there is even a "guess your BAC" feature, which is supposed to help you "understand how alcohol is affecting your body, putting you in control of the night."

On a more serious note, the app also syncs up with Apple Health allowing users to make correlations between their alcohol consumption patterns and other factors that contribute to their overall wellbeing.

BACTrack Vio retails for $50.

Design engineers and professionals, the West Coast's most important design, innovation, and manufacturing event, Pacific Design & Manufacturing, is taking place in Anaheim, Feb. 10-12, 2015. A Design News event, Pacific Design & Manufacturing is your chance to meet qualified suppliers, get hands-on access to the latest technologies, be informed from a world-class conference program, and expand your network. (You might even meet a Design News editor.) Learn more about Pacific Design & Manufacturing here.