Scientists have developed a ‘virtual breathalyser’ app – using smart devices to measure if someone is too drunk to drive.
It can tell by how someone walks – if they wobble too much – whether they are fit enough to get behind the wheel.
Sensors fitted to smartphones, fitness bands, smart watches and virtual glasses were found to be 100 per cent accurate – on a par with police breathalyser tests.
The app can tell by how someone walks – if they wobble – if they are fit to get behind the wheel
The smart breathalyser was developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
Inventor Ben Nassi said: ‘Alcohol distinctly affects movement, gait and balance in ways that can be detected by the built-in motion sensors on devices people carry with them all the time.’
In future, the app could be used to alert people, or even prevent a connected car from starting, in order to stop users driving under the influence.
The sensors which can be fitted to phones and smartwatches were found to be as accurate as a police breathalyser test
In the study, Nassi and his team collected test data from drinkers at different bars on five nights.
Participants wore Google Glass augmented reality glasses, an LG G-watch on their left hand, a Microsoft Band on their right hand, and carried a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone in their right rear pocket.
Researchers hope that within years, the app will be useful for people who routinely use a smartwatch with their smartphone.
