NTT Docomo is displaying the world’s first wearable device that measures the minute volumes of acetone gas^* emitted from the skin.

The company states that this device measures the acetone emitted from the skin when body fat is burned, and the volume of this gas can then be used to give the wearer an understanding of the state of body fat consumption. Until now, measuring acetone gas has required a large measuring device as the amounts of acetone emitted from body are very small; however, NTT has succeeded in producing a device small enough to wear. Measurement results are transmitted wirelessly to a smart phone, and then stored as records.

A lack of acetone emission during exercise is a sign that no fat is being burned, and thus indicates that the exercise is ineffective. Wearing this device provides users with a visual representation of the amount of body fat they are burning daily, and NTT Docomo is considering to offer personal advice aimed at preventing or alleviating lifestyle-related diseases.

* Acetone: A natural gas emitted in extremely small amounts from the skin and in the breath, accompanying the breakdown and burning of body fat.