Description
Breathometer’s first foray into the world of oral off-gassing came in the form of a breathalyzer users can plug into their smartphone’s audio jack, give a big blow, and get an instant blood alcohol content readout. Now with their forthcoming Mint, the company is catering to those of us who got home from the bars safely, passed out in a plate of microwave nachos at the kitchen table, and have woken up wondering how many Altoids and how much water we’re going to have to down before it’s acceptable to interact with other human beings.
Mint is a portable device the socially conscious and people hoping to get some tongue breathe into for feedback on their breath quality and hydration levels. When the device is placed inside a tester’s mouth it draws an air sample and, within seconds, beams that data to the Breathometer app on a smartphone. Breath quality, expressed in the prototype stage* as an ascending score of 1 to 5 leaves, is measured as Hydrogen Sulfide, Methyl Mercapthan, and Hydrogen Disulfide levels in parts per billion. This triumvirate of stench particles are also known Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSCs), and are created by anaerobic bacteria biofilms in the mouth. Certain foods and beverages, plus gum disease and tooth decay, can elevate your VSCs and, in turn, give you breath worse than an ogre vomiting at a garlic festival.
Mint measures hydration levels in tandem with breath quality using the moisture level of the tester’s mucus membrane, which Breathometer says this is the first place dehydration symptoms occur. In addition to providing instant information about water needs, Mint will also track your hydration levels over time, and give recommendations on how to improve your results if they’re lackluster.
The Breathometer App will function with iPhone 5s and newer, plus selected Android products. Anticipated release date is August 2015.
*Mint’s IndieGoGo backers can opt to get an early version of the product to help test and perfect its accuracy, functionality, and design.
