Find out if you are safe to drive with the Alcohoot breathalyzer for iPhone

By chrisoldroyd
published

One of the big questions every time people have a night out and take the car is how much can they safely drink without being over the legal alcohol consumption limit or a danger to other road users. Well this could all start to become a lot clearer with the Alcohoot smartphone breathalyzer.

The Alcohoot is the worlds first smartphone breathalyzer, it connects to your iPhone using Bluetooth and when paired will automatically launch the Alcohoot’s companion app. You simply blow into a tube and the information will be transferred to your iPhone. It will then calculate your BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) based on your sex, age, weight and height. The Alcohoot has been built to conform with all relevant FDA and Department of Transportation requirements. If you are over the limit it can then call you a cab, search for a restaurant or phone a friend to come and get you.

You should never drink and drive, ever. We understand that it isn’t ideal to carry around a heavy, bulky, unattractive breath tester, that’s why we invented Alcohoot – a small, sleek, innovative add-on for your smartphone that turns it into an accurate breath alcohol tester. Just connect it, take a breath test, take it off. Simple as that.With the Alcohoot app you can find nearby restaurants that are open with zero hassle. Go rest and get some food and water in your belly – it will give your body time to digest the alcohol and the food will help absorb it more quickly.Drunk driving kills over 10,000 people each year in the United States. We are here to do something about it.

The Alcohoot should be available this summer and the price is rumored to be around $70; which is reasonable enough if it can save lives and your drivers license. Of course we doubt that this would stand up in court if after using it you do decide to drive home but still get pulled over and fail a Police test; this is still a bit of a gray area and would probably be decided by a blood test. The safest and most fool proof way to avoid this of course, is to avoid alcohol completely when driving. That would make much more sense!

Would you be interested in using your iPhone as a breathalyzer?

Source: Alcohoot

Alcohoot - The Smartphone Breathalyzer (opens in new tab) from Jonathan Ofir (opens in new tab) on Vimeo (opens in new tab).

chrisoldroyd
chrisoldroyd

UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.

11 Comments
  • I don't drive but just out of curiosity I'd be very interested to know what BAC I have after a night out :D Could be a nice party gadget, though for 70$ I'd expect it to be pretty accurate or else it wouldn't be worth it.
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  • Interesting device however be responsible and don't drink and drive its just common sense. The app should have a mode where if you have a high level and it sees you are moving via a car (possibly a blue tooth tag in your vehicle) it calls the cops and reports you now that would make it much cooler! Yes I know too George Orwellian 1984ish however when you have lost a loved one due to a intoxicated driver (wasn't even over the limit) you will understand.
  • I'm sorry for your loss but you're right: too Orwellian. Besides, a friend could be pulled over for driving your car to get you home safely, after using the device.
  • Problem with devices like this is it ends up becoming a contest among friends to see who can get their BAC up the highest. Good intentions but I can't see this being beneficial really. If you're not sure if you're safe to drive you probably shouldn't drive. Also this may help prevent DWI's but you can still easily get a DUI if you have alcohol in your system but are under the legal limit. All depends on the cop who snagged you.
  • That's quite a logical leap. I'm sure SOME people WOULD make it a contest. It's quite a leap to go from that to saying it wouldn't be beneficial. It's been a long-time rant of mine that people are expected to know their alcohol tolerance and whether it's safe to drive yet those who judge and arrest them for it are the ones equipped with the tools to scientifically quantify the level of intoxication. Besides, there's something inherently, logically flawed about the idea that those whose judgement has been impaired by alcohol should be use that same judgement to determine whether they should drive. This isn't to say that no one should drink OR that no one should be held responsible for their actions. It's really about giving people the necessary tools and information to make the best choices for themselves and those around them. And all of this from me, a non-drinking square.
  • I don't think its a logical leap. I've seen it happen. I've never once seen a breathalyzer used responsibly in all my times out. Its either ignored or seen as a toy. If you have to wonder if you've had too much you probably have had too much and should get a ride from a cab or a sober person. Again, if you are caught driving with alcohol in your system you can still get a DUI. If you can't exercise enough self-control to not be teetering at the legal limit while out with friends I don't know if a little breathalyzer is going to change a thing.
  • if you're gonna pay that much for one, you might as well get the one installed in your vehicle that needs your BAC below a certain level for the car to start. Remember, the only problem with drinking and driving is that trees defend themselves very well
  • Take it from someone who works in community based corrections dealing specifically with drunk driving offenders, save your money on things like this for a cab (not that the good intentions aren't there). It ain't worth it and in most states you can be well under the legal limit and still get charged with DUI. Its like trying to avoid pregnancy by timing a menstrual cycle so you can have unprotected sex. It's all Russian roulette..
  • Protip: If you need a phone app to figure out if you are safe to drive, you ain't.
  • Exactly. What we don't need are a bunch of people hitting the roads who are *just* under the legal limit. Luckily very few people will be shelling out $70 for a novelty gadget, which is how these are almost always used.