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TruTouch 2000 promises to detect intoxication with a finger scan
TruTouch Technologies has been working on various non-invasive means to detect intoxication for quite a while now (like the rather elaborate TruTouch Guardian pictured at right), but it looks like it's set to simplify things even further with its new TruTouch 2000 device, which has apparently passed though clinical tests with flying colors. Like the Guardian, the TruTouch 2000 uses near infrared light to detect possible intoxication, but it's apparently able to do that by simply scanning your finger instead of your entire forearm. Quite the leap, to be sure, but TruTouch says that the device is able to 'produce accurate results in less than 15 seconds," and that it packs a built-in biometric identification system to ensure the test results are legit. No timeline for an actual deployment of the device just yet, but it looks like TruTouch has its eye on applications far beyond the expected law enforcement uses -- including even vehicle safety systems, and "Alcohol Point-Of-Sale Liability Reduction Systems."
Toyota getting into the anti-drunk driving game
Just days after most everyone in the world celebrated (read: ingested alcohol) the new year, Toyota is hitting us up with news declaring that drunk driving won't be tolerated in its future fleet of vehicles. Although Nissan has already considered an add-on option that would prevent inebriated individuals from motoring around on a whim, it looks like Toyota is following suit with its own anti-drunk driving approach. Reportedly, the automaker is developing a "fail-safe system for cars that detects drunken drivers and automatically shuts the vehicle down if sensors pick up signs of excessive alcohol consumption." Utilizing "sweat detectors," the steering wheel automatically sniffs out the driver's BAC and can restrict the car from cranking if it deems necessary; additionally, it can recognize "abnormal steering" or take advantage of the "special camera installed to monitor your pupils" in order to slow your vehicle to a halt if you're smart aware enough to wear gloves when taking the wheel. While we've no idea how much Toyota will inflate vehicle prices to account for this, um, luxury, the firm purportedly hopes to outfit its cars with the system "by the end of 2009."[Via The Raw Feed]
