The mouth spray that gets you drunk... for a few seconds

A collaborative effort between a French designer and an American scientist has produced a portable mouth spray that results in instant drunkenness. The big catch, however, is that the purported buzz only lasts a few seconds. So, uh, what's the point? Here's what you should know:

How does it work?

The "WA|HH Quantum Sensations" system, presented at a French exhibition, delivers alcohol via a tiny aerosol spray, which spritzes a 0.075 milliliter dose of boozy chemicals directly into your system. A typical drink, by contrast, contains 40 to 60 milliliters of alcohol, meaning that you'd need to press the spray button thousands of times to ingest the equivalent. The best (or worst) part of the spray experience? After a few seconds of feeling drunk, you sober up, returning to normal headache- and hangover-free.

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Why use it?

"Maybe it's just a curiosity," says George Fox at CBS News. "Maybe somebody who doesn't drink needs a few moments of 'liquid courage' in order to talk to a cute guy or girl at the bar." In any case, if it ever hits college dorms or fraternity parties stateside, watch out.

Who thought of this?

The project was conceived by French designer Philippe Starck and Harvard scientist David Edwards, who says that "thanks to the way the specially designed spray mechanism pulverizes the liquid into your mouth," the effects are instantaneous.

Is this the first such invention for the pair?

Not for Edwards, who previously created a novelty spray system called Whif that lets users sample flavors such as chocolate or coffee. The theory is that people don't always want to eat or drink, especially if they're dieting. Sometimes they just want a taste. It looks like Edwards was onto something, too: He sold 400,000 units of the Whif sprays.

How can I get it?

There's no word on actual distribution (yet), but the little spritzer will reportedly set you back $26 if you can get your hands on it.

Sources: AFP (French), CBS News, Gizmodo, SoJones