Epic Ventures
 

Jun 29, 2006

Using Infrared to See if You're Lit


A new non-invasive device promises to check blood alcohol levels in 90 seconds, as opposed to 20 minutes for a typical Breathalyzer test.  The system, which looks like a drug-store blood pressure monitor, works by shining a harmless beam of infrared light on the skin of the forearm.  Alcohol in the tissue absorbs light, so the amount that reflects back indicates how much alcohol is present.
     Designed by Albuquerque-based Tru-Touch Technologies, a spin-off of InLight Solutions, the test should go on sale next year, first to law enforcement agencies and later for workplace testing.

    TrueTouch CEO Jim McNally says the test could also work in an "interlock" device in a vehicle, stopping ignition if a driver is drunk.
    VeraLight, another InLight spin-off, adapted the same core technology to help diagnose diabetes using fluorescent light instead of infrared.  Compared with today's glucose tests, which require eight or more hours of fasting, the VeraLight Scout system is 20% more accurate and offers results in about a minute.