Talking Breathalyzer Adds Fun to DUI Prevention

By Mike

Recent technological developments have allowed police to check the blood alcohol content of allegedly drunk drivers on the scene. This new technology has also allowed drivers to check their level of inebriation before getting behind the wheel.

According to Tech News Daily, inventor Al Linke recently created a talking breathalyzer that tells its users New innovations, though, continue to make breathalyzer tests more appealing for regular folks. The newest invention, a talking breathalyzer, lets people who want to hit the road know if they are under the legal alcohol limit. The device can be built from a kit or it can be purchased whole, and it costs roughly $140.

The device contains an Arduino-based circuit board, which is attached to regular commercial alcohol sensor. When a person breathes into the device, the sensor heats the breath, and a chemical reaction changes the electricity flowing through the circuit board.

Somehow, the electrical change within the circuit board triggers a mechanism that allows the user to learn whether he or she is drunk.

In a unique twist, the machine does not require users to blow into a mouthpiece. In order to keep the device sanitary for multiple users, the talking breathalyzer only requires users to blow on its alcohol sensor.

In another effort to separate this breathalyzer from other commercially available devices, Linke programmed the machine to deliver the verdict through an electronic voice. Each unit comes with several voice options, including a pirate, a New York cab driver, and an old Englishman.

The device can also be programmed with digital music or a user’s own voice. Apparently, if the device is connected to a computer, users can also send updates on their level of drunkenness over Twitter.

One caveat, though, with the machine is that the talking breathalyzer does not give an accurate reading of a person’s blood alcohol content. Rather, it simply tells a user roughly how drunk he or she is.

As a result, drivers should not rely solely on the advice given by the talking breathalyzer when deciding whether to get behind the wheel. Only professional breathalyzers should be trusted to gauge a person’s blood alcohol level, and drivers are better off not trying to drive at all after drinking.

The company admits this shortcoming of its device on its website, where it warns users that the talking breathalyzer is “for entertainment purposes only.”

Nevertheless, if the device informs a user that he or she is drunk, it could obviously serve as a rough guide for people when they are deciding whether to drive.

Still, users are warned not to rely on the device’s information in their driving decisions. No police officer in her right mind would allow a DUI driver to walk free based on the words of a robotic pirate.