US Army working on an algorithm that can tell its soldiers what's the best time to drink coffee

The US Army is working on a new technology that can help its soldiers stay alert by telling the ideal time for drinking coffee. The system aims at pinpointing in what could be perhaps the best time schedule to follow for caffeine consumption. The open-access tool is called "2B-Alert Web 2.0."

Researchers with the US Army also discovered that the practice led to an average of 40 per cent increase in terms of alertness among its soldiers whereas intake of caffeine was also reduced significantly. In a nutshell, the new algorithm formulates a unique dosage strategy for each individual, so that it can effectively derive best results possible.

How does it work?

The motive behind developing this algorithm was to perfectly time caffeine consumption among the soldiers. As a result, researchers with the US Army went on to create an algorithm that would do just that. With the ideal results and dosage strategy, the system aims to help soldiers stay alert even when they are sleep-deprived.

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So far, the results seem to have shown positive results with an average of 40 per cent boost in alertness among the soldiers with less caffeine consumption than before. With timely dosage strategy by the researchers, soldiers needed 40 per cent less caffeine to stay alert even when sleep-deprived.

As per the description available on 2b-alert-web.bhsai.org, the tool can access the effect of different schedules for individuals and their caffeine consumption. The tool can also help design the individual's sleeping and caffeine schedule for maximum alertness with minimum caffeine intake.

"Our 2B-Alert Web tool allows an individual, in our case our service members, to optimize the beneficial effects of caffeine while minimizing its consumption," said principal investigator Jaques Reifman, Ph.D., a Department of the Army Senior Research Scientist for Advanced Medical Technology.

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Reifman who is also serving at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Ft. Detrick, Maryland noted that the freely available tool will have practical applications beyond the military and the research lab.