A team of researchers led by Dr. Nabil Alshurafa at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine has developed SmokeMon, a data-tracking necklace that helps smokers kick their habit. The necklace is equipped with sensors that track the user’s smoking behavior, such as the number of cigarettes smoked and when they are smoked. The device also provides the user with personalized feedback and coaching to help them quit smoking.

SmokeMon allows researchers to measure and assess harmful carbon monoxide exposure and understand relationship between chemical exposure and tobacco-related diseases. The device tracks heat signatures from cigarettes, how much is inhaled and the time between puffs. The goal is to prevent smokers from relapsing.

SmokeMon has gained world-wide attention. Select news articles and coverage from various news outlets may be found at the links below.

Fox 32 Chicago:

https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1183455

WGN TV:

https://wgntv.com/news/medical-watch/data-tracking-necklace-helps-smokers-kick-habit/

The Engineer:

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/smart-necklace-uses-heat-signal-to-track-smoking-habits

BBC Radio (Coverage begins at 19:35):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172yf90g27nnk9

SmokeMon Publication:

SmokeMon: Unobtrusive Extraction of Smoking Topography Using Wearable Energy-Efficient Thermal. Alharbi R, Shahi S, Cruz S, Li L, Sen S, Pedram M, Romano C, Hester J, Katsaggelos AK, Alshurafa N. Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies. 2023 Jan; 6(4): https://doi.org/10.1145/3569460

About Nabil Alshurafa:

Dr. Nabil Alshurafa is an Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern University. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of California Los Angeles. He currently directs the NIH- and NSF-funded HABits Lab, which aims to bridge computer science and behavioral science research. His current research seeks to enable passive assessment of lifestyle habits with the goal of designing technology-supported lifestyle treatments for obesity, smoking cessation, and mental health. His long-term goal is to design mobile health systems that combine machine learning and wearable sensors to understand human behaviors in their natural setting, as well a psychological state and environmental context, with the ultimate goal of designing interventions that help manage symptoms, prevent illness, and improve health and well-being. Dr. Alshurafa is a graduate of the 2016 NIH mHealth Training Institute. To learn more about Dr. Alshurafa, visit: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=33330.