I would like a list of all ***companies*** (rather than academic
groups) working on sensors that use noninvasive techniques (optical,
reverse iontophoresis, other transdermal methods) to measure alcohol
(ethanol) in the human body. In particular, I am interested in
companies that are focused on producing a sensor for use in automotive
applications or operation of heavy equipment, etc. to detect
driver/operate impairment by alcohol.

Please feel free to contact me for futher clarification before
beginning your research if you have any questions.

Hello -

Important note: This answer is not finished until you're satisfied
with it. It's pretty impossible to find "all" companies, and there's
really no way of exactly assessing how many are out there, since it is
very common for companies to not disclose the new technologies they're
working on.  Also, in this query, I've leaned toward companies that
have technologies that are not in products yet, as well as mostly just
"sensors". Please let me know if you're interested in already-existing
products to detect alcohol content, and not specifically just
companies that are attempting to produce new sensor technology.

Also, much of this R&D may indeed be done at educational facilities.

Using some extensive search queries, I've been able to come up with
the following. If this answer is not satisfactory to you, please let
me know [before rating it], and I will try to either augment it or
will remove it entirely.

Mechatronics
http://www.mechatronics.nl/products/etharron/body.htm

Figaro Engineering
www.dsmith-inc.com/protech/figaro.pdf 

Sensor Electronics
http://www.forester.net/mw_news_020422_sensor.html

FIS
http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:ak7YrPS28tkJ:www.fisinc.co.jp/PDF/TDP12_SP32.pdf+%22new+sensor%22+alcohol&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Mosaic Industries
http://mosaic-industries.com/About/Profile.html

AMS
http://www.alcoholmonitoring.com/scram.html

Northern Star
http://www.northernstar.info/city/articles/021403-sniffer.asp


Search Strategy:
"detects OR measures alcohol" "new technology OR method OR sensor"
"developing OR researching OR producing * sensor OR technology"
"alcohol OR ethanol"
researching sensor alcohol ethanol
"working on * sensor" "alcohol OR ethanol"
pupil scanning alcohol
"new sensor" alcohol [ethanol]
"new technology" alcohol [ethanol]
new "detects alcohol"
"working on" "to detect" alcohol
"new alcohol sensor"
"blood alcohol content" "new sensor"
"blood alcohol content" "new method"
alcohol detection technologies
optical
reverse iontophoresis
noninvasive alcohol
"developing sensors" alcohol
"developing a" alcohol breath

---

Request for Answer Clarification by rob_in_nm-ga on 16 Jun 2003 07:45 PDT

jbf777 -- 

This looks like a good start! However, many of the companies you've
identified are doing industiral monitoring of alcohol vapor, so
they're not particularly relevant to my inquiry.

The two on your list that are best are AMS (exactly what I'm looking
for) and Mosaic (who claims they can do automotive applications by
sensing exhaled alcohol in the passenger compartment). Also, Eye
Dynamics (which another person commented on) seems to be doing
relevant work by monitoring eye dynamics as an indicator of alcohol
impairment.

Can you take one more pass through this and try to identify any
competitors/collaborators to the three companies that have been
identified?

Thanks,
Rob

---

Clarification of Answer by jbf777-ga on 16 Jun 2003 08:53 PDT

Hi rob_in_nm -

I'd be glad to.

I just want to clarify something before I start in.  AMS' product
already exists [called SCRAM].   Presumably, they're doing R&D on the
subject, but the way I read your question was more about finding
companies that are *trying* to develop new sensing techniques, or
doing R&D on new technologies based on noninvasive techniques.

So just to clarify, are companies that are selling already-existing
products with these technologies OK?

---

Request for Answer Clarification by rob_in_nm-ga on 16 Jun 2003 09:42 PDT

jbf777 --

Thanks for the question. I'm interested in companies that have a
product or are developing a product and/or technology. The main filter
I want to apply is to screen out academic research efforts that are
not directed to useful commercial efforts.

Rob

---

Clarification of Answer by jbf777-ga on 16 Jun 2003 09:53 PDT

rob_in_nm-ga -

Thanks for the clarification.  I will broaden my search effort now. 
Please give me a little while to research this [24-36 hours], and I'll
post my findings.  Also, are traditional "breathalyzer" technologies
OK?

Thanks,

jbf777-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by rob_in_nm-ga on 16 Jun 2003 10:28 PDT

jbf777 --

For the purposes of your search, let's avoid breathalyzers. My focus
is to identify "noninvasive" methods to measure alcohol in an
automobile that ***might*** be acceptable to consumers. Breathalyzers
are certainly a method for measuring alcohol but have a variety of
problems in this type of application, particulary with respect to
consumer acceptance.

That said, some of the breathalyzer companies (e.g. Drager,
Intoximeters, etc) may be doing work in the space of
noninvasive/transdermal measurement techniques.

Thanks. I look forward to the results of your search.

Rob

---

Clarification of Answer by jbf777-ga on 17 Jun 2003 09:02 PDT

Hello again -

In addition to extensive searching myself, I had a conversation with
two reps from AMS -- one of whom was Don White, VP of field
operations.  He attends trade shows with regard to alcohol sensing. 
To his knowledge, AMS is the only company with a finished commercial
product that is doing transdermal detection.  This is further
corroborated by this PDF:

http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:Xnvoe0LeAJMJ:209.98.40.71/mca/pdf/forum/2_03forum.pdf+%22transdermal+alcohol%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
"On February 7, the MCA Technology Committee will host a technology
learning event concerning the latest innovation in alcohol monitoring.
Kirby Phillips, President of Bio Information Systems and founder
Alcohol Monitoring Systems will introduce SCRAM, short for Secure
Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring.  It’s the first remote alcohol
monitoring system to utilize electronic transdermal alcohol testing
which measures alcohol migrating through the surface of the skin – a
by-product of alcohol consumption – in order to determine blood
alcohol level."

Mr. White also informed me they have a patent in this technology.

Representatives from Draeger, Intoximeters, and CMI have not heard of
their companies doing anything with this technology, which is
apparently *very* new.

I have been able to find only one other company [who incidentally has
never been heard of by AMS] that has built a working, tested prototype
and is looking for backing/collaboration for commercialization.  They
also claim to have a patent.  The company is Giner, Inc, and you can
check out this page on their website:

http://www.ginerinc.com/tas.htm

If you're interested, you can contact:

Linda Templeman 
Director of Biomedical R&D
Giner, Inc.
781-529-0514


Linda alerted me to a grant program initiative by the
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA] that is
focused on funding companies to do research into new alcohol detection
techniques.  They can be reached at:

NIAAA
6000 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
Millie Winston - (301) 443-5173 
Gene Hayunga - (301) 443-4375

...and ask about companies that have received grants.

With regard to pupil-tracking, according to Eye Dynamics, their
product does not actually measure alcohol in the human body.  It only
is able to discern impairment through eye movement.  That impairment
may be caused by factors other than alcohol ingestion.  Even though
the rep said he he's unaware of any other company doing this, I have
been able to find one other:

PMI Fit 2000
http://www.pmifit.com/

Please don't hesitate to ask for any additional clarification before
rating this answer.

jbf777-ga

Additional Link:
[PDF]Passive Alcohol Sensors: A Study Focusing on their Use... 
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/library/publications/topic/safety/pascomplete.pdf

Great job! I appreciate the thoroughness of the search using both
Google tools as well as direct contacts.

Is there a way to request your involvement again if/when we have
future such requests?

Please don't forget Eye Dynamics out of Torrence, California (ticker
symbol EYDY).  I own stock in them! :-)

Hello rob_in_nm-ga -

Thank you very much for the very generous tip, rating, and kind words!
 It was my pleasure.

If/when you have any future questions/research you'd like to involve
me on, simply direct the question to my attention by appending "for
jbf777-ga" in the subject line.

Thanks again,

jbf777-ga
GA Researcher