Applying optical technology, scientists discovered a way to measure the amount of intoxicant in skin of driver. They use near-infrared spectroscopy to measure BAC. The light enters the arm and a detector collects reflected light. It uses a helium-neon laser as the inner reference source, and is a non-invasive choice to current methods.
Last year , approximately 18 thousand people die in alcohol-related crashes. Keeping drunk drivers out of the street is the responsibility of law enforcement and thanks to a new device, their jobs would become easier.
While it takes much more time to do field sobriety test also a Breathalyzer , there is a more hi-tech way to test .
The TruTouch 1100, created by scientists, uses Spectroscopy by shining different wavelengths of light onto the skin.
How it work?
The TruTouch 1100 system uses very low power light (in the near-infrared wavelength regime of the spectrum) into the skin of the forearm. The light that gets back to the tissue surface by reflection and is collected by a detector. The light reflecting from each type of molecule such as water, intoxicant is unique. This allows for the spectrum of intoxicant to be separated from other molecules that are generally present in the body. The whole action takes approximately 1-2 min, compared to more than half an hour for other tests.
Spectroscopy is a method used by astronomers and physicists to study the element of an object based on the light it gives out. Anything that produces light or beams energy, whether a electric light or a star show us about itself , the suroundings and the source. The reason may be because each element has a specific signature, giving out or absorbing radiation at particular wavelengths. For instance, sodium, used in street light , gives out principally orange light. Oxygen, used in neon lights, gives out green light. By passing the light from a star or other object through a particular tool, spectrograph, the light is "spread" into a spectrum as visible radiation is spread into its colors by a optical prism. Scientists can show what chemical elements are present , base on studies about how the spectrum gets brighter or darker at each wavelength.
The system measures the amount of intoxicant is in the person's skin base on the light reflected back. When lift the lid which exposes the touch pad the light comes out of the device and will go in and out of the tissue.
It's non-invasive and just take a few minutes to have the results . Now ,the new “booze-busting” device is being tested by policeman in many places and could be popular just by next year. Besides keeping drunk drivers out from the street, the device can also be used in many places such as : emergency rooms, prisons, schools and offices or anywhere intoxicant use.
