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FRIDAY, January 21, 2011

Science at the Edge Seminar, 11:30 a.m., Room 1400 BPS Bldg.
Speaker: David K. Lambert
Title:  New technology to stop drunk drivers from driving

New technology to stop drunk drivers from driving

David K. Lambert

Recent advances make it practical to check every driver's blood alcohol concentration.  An infrared measurement system with sufficient speed and accuracy is described.  It uses a puff of the driver's exhaled breath.  The system draws in ambient air, and compares the time-varying concentrations of ethanol vapor and exhaled breath to determine the driver's blood alcohol concentration.  The calculated accuracy, in 1 s, is 400 times smaller than the legal intoxication limit in the U.S.  The system appears practical.  Should technology be used to eliminate drunk driving?



Shawna Prater / Secretary
Astrophysics Group
Michigan State University
3261 Biomedical Physical Sciences Bldg
East Lansing, MI 48824-2320
Ph: (517) 884-5601 Fax (517) 432-8802
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