ecto was a project that provided a speculative design and biodesign perspective to providing a solution for the opioid epidemic. ecto involves a fictional tick, an ancient arachnid that is worn in a watchband. It can sense the pain of a person who uses it, and bites the person when they begin to feel pain. Each tick holds an amount of TTX, a neurotoxin that acts the same as opioids without the addictive aspects to it. In large amounts, TTX is responsible for killing many humans and animals every year, but in small doses it's being supplemented as a painkiller alternative. With ecto, our goal is to further diminish substance abuse by creating a relationship between the user and their source of medication, which in this case is the tick.