July’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Britta Evans-Fenton to support the development of a breathalyzer necklace she is calling Breathlace.

“Made up of a breathalyzer sensor, sewable LEDs, thermal colour-changing fabric, an e-textile micro-controller, and a battery,” Britta explains, “Breathlace will be an interactive piece of jewelry to encourage fun and break down barriers at parties, while also supplying a hint of safety. As people consume alcohol they will be able to breathe on the sensor, and the more alcohol they have consumed, the more the necklace will light up.”

“Wearables — electronics that are sewn into fabric — are still quite new to Ottawa, with very few people working on projects that include them,” says Britta. “I’m hoping this project will not only be fun to have around, but will also encourage people to try more of these types of projects.”

Britta is the Technical Coordinator at Artengine, a technology-based artist-run centre in Ottawa, as well as the host of Modlab, Ottawa’s first hackerspace, and a co-organizer of the Ottawa Mini Maker Faire.