Breathalyzers

Sensors that quickly detect chemicals used to make bombs are being developed by scientists at Queen’s University, Belfast. The devices will use special gel pads to "swipe" a person or crime scene to gather a sample which is then analyzed by a scanning instrument that can detect the presence of chemicals within seconds, much quicker than current analysis methods. This will allow better, faster decisions to be made in response to terrorist threats. The team is also working on devices that detect illegal drugs and will hopefully be deployed by police as roadside drug "breathalyzers".  Read More

January 5, 2008 The AcuNetx HawkEye law enforcement system, which magnifies and records tell-tale signs of drug intoxication in a suspect’s pupils, has been awarded two separate patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The tool is now being used by highway patrol officers and at sobriety checkpoints across the U.S.A.  Read More

September 5, 2007 One in three traffic fatalities in Europe is alcohol related and around 3,000 people in the UK are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions. In an effort to help drivers make responsible choices, Volvo is the first manufacturer to launch a fully integrated, voluntary in-car breathalyzer/alcolock system called Alcoguard as an option to its 2008 range, which prevents the car from starting if the driver is over the blood alcohol limit.  Read More

August 9, 2006 Alcohol and road-use don’t mix, and tens of thousands of human beings a year are maimed or killed due to alcohol-impaired drivers. So if you’re regularly going to drink and drive, which many of us do, then the very least you can do as a responsible human being is to ensure your blood alcohol content is below the legal limit. We’ve already written up the fascinating stand-alone Sobercheck breathalyser and we recently wrote about the LG Breathalyzer mobile phone. Well now there’s a wristwatch with a built-in breathalyser set to hit the market later this month. So die-hard booze hounds now can have their very own breathalyser on the end of their arm to ensure the only person they kill is themselves.  Read More

July 8, 2006 There’s been a lot of talk on the tech blogs about LG’s Korean-only LP-4100 Sobriety phone and the possibility it will roll out in the United States. The phone has a built-in breathalyzer and is selling very well in Korea. Indeed, given that between 15 and 30% of all road deaths (depending on your country) involve drivers over the legal blood alcohol limits, and there’s been so much kerfuffle since it was shown at CES in January, you’d think it’d be a certainty to debut shortly. But apparently not. LG emphasised when we asked that “this phone will not be launching in the US this year, and at this time there are no plans to bring it over to the US at all. The original article announcing this phone was incorrect.” We have previously tested a personal breathalyser and thoroughly recommend them as essential kit for anyone who consumes alcohol and then drives/rides, so obviously we’re very keen on this idea, particularly for young people who are, according to the statistics, particularly at risk.  Read More

In one of the most bizarre legislative moves ever seriously contemplated, a New York Assemblyman has proposed that every driver in New York should pass an alcohol breath test every time they start their car - anyplace, anytime and regardless of whether they drink at all, let alone responsibly. The legislation would require the retro-fitting of breathalyser ignition locks to every car in New York - the cost to install such devices has been estimated to be up to US$1,000 per automobile, and would require New Yorkers to re-perform the test every 20 to 40 minutes while driving.  Read More