Noninvasive Technology
Although alcohol testing is typically associated with drunk
driving, it also plays significant roles in probation
monitoring, workplace safety, and emergency medicine.
Current methods for testing suffer from two key limitations:
1) all require handling of a bodily fluid which
gives rise to biohazard concerns, and 2) all require some
degree of direct subject supervision from a test
administrator, restricting applications.
TruTouch has developed a new touch-based alcohol monitoring
technology which has the potential to overcome these
limitations thereby offering significant improvements in
subject safety and the ability to conduct completely
unsupervised testing. The new technology relies on near
infrared reflectance spectroscopy to noninvasively measure
alcohol through the subject's skin. This creates a rapid,
easy-to-use method for determining alcohol concentration in
a variety of environments.
This noninvasive technology employs near-infrared (NIR)
absorption spectroscopy to measure analytes in tissue.
Near-infrared spectroscopy is part of the science that
characterizes the transfer of electromagnetic energy to
vibrational energy in molecular bonds, referred to as
absorption, which occurs when light interacts with matter.
With very few exceptions, most molecules absorb infrared
electromagnetic energy in this manner. The specific
structure of a molecule dictates the energy levels, and
thus the wavelengths, at which the electromagnetic energy
will be transferred. Thus, the absorbance spectrum of each
molecular species is unique. It is this uniqueness that
makes absorption spectroscopy such a valuable analytical
technique.
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Current Alcohol Measurement Methods
Alcohol testing is currently achieved through blood and breath
analysis technologies. Each method has limitations:
Blood testing represents the gold standard, but:
- Requires a trained phlebotomist to obtain the blood sample
- Exposes suspect and phlebotomist to risk of infection
- Requires a trained technician to run the blood analysis instrument
- Is expensive
- Involves significant delay between decision to measure and blood alcohol determination
Breath testing simplifies testing, but:
- Is sensitive to false positives due to the presence of "mouth alcohol"
- Requires a 15 - 20 minute mandated observation period before test can be administered
- Requires subject cooperation (deep-breath maneuvers)
The TruTouch Noninvasive Alcohol Analyzer
TruTouch has developed technology that utilizes near-infrared
spectroscopy to noninvasively measure alcohol content in the body.
The system provides police, safety personnel, researchers, and clinicians
with noninvasive, rugged, and easy-to-use alcohol testing capability.
Advantages of TruTouch's Technology
- Accurate and precise alcohol measurement
- Results available in less than 30 seconds
- Doesn't require special subject compliance
- No 20-minute waiting period
- No exposure to biohazards or bodily fluids such as needles or blood
- Automatic system calibration and set-up
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