New Ice Cubes Change Color to Track Alcohol Use

A graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has invented ice cubes that can warn drinkers when they’ve consumed too much alcohol, ABC News reports.

Dhairya Dand came up with the idea after he suffered an alcohol-induced blackout. The incident inspired him to invent ice cubes that change colors in response to the amount of alcohol a person consumes. An instrument called an accelerometer tracks how often the glass is raised to someone’s lips, while a timer helps estimate how intoxicated the person is, according to the news report.

A light encased in the waterproof ice cube will flash green to signal a first drink. When the ice cube flashes yellow, it indicates a person’s alcohol level is rising. A red flashing ice cube is a warning to stop drinking. The ice cube can send a text message to someone to let them know the person needs assistance.