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Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Scientists create laser device that can detect drunk drivers

By shining a laser through a car from the side of the road, researchers can measure blood alcohol levels inside moving vehicles.

RESEARCHERS IN POLAND have developed a laser which can discover if the person behind the wheel has been drinking.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing by scientists at Warsaw’s Military University of Technology, can detect alcohol vapor inside moving vehicles using special curved mirrors and beams of light.

By shining a laser through a car from the side of the road, before the beam bounces back off a mirror and into a detector, researchers can find out what a driver’s blood alcohol level is.

If the levels are over the limit, a photo of the car, including its number plate, is sent to a policeman who can stop the suspected car and check the driver using conventional equipment.

The beam can detect blood alcohol concentrations of as low as 0.1mg/ml (milligrams of alcohol per milliliter of blood) in tests simulating the breathing of a drunk driver.

However, the team say the beam could be capable of detecting lower alcohol concentrations and could help reduce the number of cars that have to be checked, and increase efficacy of stopping drunken drivers.

Before you start expecting this to appear anytime soon, the researchers did identify a number of caveats and countermeasures that make the device less effective like leaving the windows open, or the detection of passengers who may have been drinking.

However, the authors wrote that “such situations are very easily detected by the system, which sends this information to the policeman indicating that the car should be checked.”

The study concluded that the next stage of the project will look at the possible countermeasures and investigate them, before it makes it a commercial product.

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36 Comments
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    Mute shadow75
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    Oct 16th 2012, 11:16 AM

    Great news they could do with a lot more tri colours up there

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    Mute Alan McEvoy
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    Oct 16th 2012, 11:47 AM

    The shop in Belfast sells Union Jacks too!

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    Mute Alan McEvoy
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    Oct 16th 2012, 4:19 PM

    Dont know why I got a load of down arrows. The shop in Belfast does indeed reflect the diversity of the city ie you can buy Union Jacks etc.

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    Mute Pierce2020
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    Oct 16th 2012, 11:14 AM

    Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water there Trap.

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    Mute ✨Ange✨
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    Oct 16th 2012, 3:41 PM

    Great news, every day another company closes it’s doors and here’s one creating employment!!! Serious negativity going on here! 250 staff that’s quite a few people!

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    Mute Vinny O'Mahony
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    Oct 16th 2012, 1:31 PM

    Trap is explaining why he doesn’t try out new young players.

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    Mute Conor Conneally
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    Oct 16th 2012, 1:21 PM

    40 shades of tat is sold in that shop. I suppose American tourists and their money are easily parted so fair play them

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    Mute Dec Kavanagh
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    Oct 16th 2012, 9:52 PM

    Who cares what they sell or who they sell to. They employ 250 staff and pay their taxes which is very welcome in this current climate. Well done Carrolls.

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    Mute Dec Kavanagh
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    Oct 16th 2012, 9:48 PM

    Well done Colm Carroll. Great Irish success story now opening in Belfast.

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    Mute Fuzi Le Bon
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    Oct 16th 2012, 3:00 PM

    shop is a rip off

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    Mute Slap'stick Ireland
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    Oct 16th 2012, 12:43 PM

    Dunphy shows us his recommendation for new Ireland manager.

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    Mute jumpthecat
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    Oct 16th 2012, 1:15 PM

    It’s not Eamon Dunphy.

    Or funny.

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    Mute Slap'stick Ireland
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    Oct 16th 2012, 1:58 PM

    Was intended to be funny. Never mind. I’ll get my coat.

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    Mute Andrew Carroll
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    May 12th 2016, 4:44 PM

    Well done to all at Carroll’s. A great enterprise and a fantastic story that hard work and dedication really does pay off. The first shop opened in the recession of the 80s. That’s saying something!!!

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    Mute Susan O'Neill
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    Oct 17th 2012, 10:08 PM

    Fantastic news from a great Irish success story. What’s with negativity folks? Great to have Irish owned business do well here and in the north. Well done to all at Carrolls.

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