If you're plans for a night out on the town involve the consumption of alcohol, it's probably a good idea to include strategies for getting home safely when the night is over. The Floome pocket breathalyzer for smartphones from Italian start-up 2045Tech is claimed to measure your blood alcohol content (BAC) with the same level of accuracy as those used by law enforcement. If the system decides that you're over the limit, there's an option to call a taxi.
We've seen similar devices before, but the Floome sports a more stylish design and contains professional-grade fuel cell sensors for greater accuracy. In lab tests, the developers found their new breathalyzer produced almost the same results as equipment used by the police, with a standard deviation of less than 10 percent. It also incorporates a patent-pending vortex whistle to measure breath flow rate and volume to ensure it has collected a sufficient sample.
The Floome attaches to the headphone jack on any iOS, Android, or Windows smartphone and connects to an app to display the user's BAC when they blow into it. It also has a removable cap so it can be cleaned and doesn't need to be charged before use.
Users can input some basic information about themselves as well (such as height, weight, gender, etc.) and the app will estimate how long it will take for them to sober up. It will even set an alarm for that time to remind them to take the test again. Best of all, if a user needs to leave right away but is still over the legal limit, the app has an option to call a local taxi service.
Strangely, the app also allows users to save pictures and graphs of their breathalyzer test results, which they can share with friends. While this might settle the dispute of who was the most plastered on a night out, it could also adversely encourage people to foolishly compete for the highest score.
2045Tech is currently running an IndieGoGo campaign to produce the first batch of breathalyzers and is offering a range of five colors along with a jeweled case option.
A standard black Floome will cost US$69, with the colored and jeweled ones priced at $79 and $139, respectively. Rather than shipping an actual device when the campaign closes, backers will be sent a voucher. Once 2045Tech has secured the necessary certification, the voucher can be swapped for a Floome.
The company took the Floome out on the town to demonstrate its accuracy and show how most people don't realize when they are inebriated, which you can watch in the video below.