Materials PhD alumnus Bob Lansdorp, with business partner and UCSB Film Studies alum Evan Strenk, co-founded Milo Sensors, a startup whose first product is wearable, non-invasive blood alcohol level biosensor.

Lansdorp and Strenk were teammates in the 2015 New Venture Competition while Lansdorp was completing his PhD In Materials in lab of Professor Omar Saleh. As a fledgling start-up, team Milo won several prizes - including the grand prize - in the competition that year, and later participated in the Citrix Startup Accelerator. In 2016, Lansdorp turned his attention to Milo Sensors as a full-time venture. Since then, Milo Sensors has been awarded $100,000 in funding as winners of the NIH-sponsored Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge.

Milo Sensor's wearable alcohol sensor is housed in a slim device and connects to a smart phone, which stores all of the bio-data in an app. Lansdorp explains: “Imagine you are enjoying a night on the town and wondering whether to indulge in another alcohol beverage. A quick glance at your smart phone will reveal your blood alcohol content, allowing you to make an informed decision on further alcohol consumption without the hassle of a breathalyzer.”

+ Read the full story and more alumni profiles at materials.ucsb.edu