Biometric firm that targets drunk workers secures $2.1 million

TruTouch Technologies, Inc., a firm that offers biometric solutions to detect alcohol intoxication levels, has just secured $2.1 million in additional funding and a major new partnership.

The company’s device uses a non-invasive infrared scanner that measures light instead of existing alcohol tests that rely on breathalyzers, blood tests, or urine samples. The system can be operated with minimal supervision as devices can be configured to automatically generate and transmit results.

After an initial ten year $60 million investment, TruTouch has secured another $2.1 million in funding from venture capitalists.

With its technology, TruTouch hopes to “render obsolete harmful alcohol-impaired activity in virtually all its public forms, from workplace accidents to illicit alcohol sales to drunk driving.”

Drunk driving causes nearly 13,000 deaths a year in the United States and statistics show that an average of one in eight employees abuse alcohol, while in some profession the rate is as high as one in four.

TruTouch has also just announced a partnership with Takata Corp. to install its device in automobiles to create the next generation of alcohol detection systems for car manufacturers. Using a small sensor to measure alcohol levels, the ignition will be blocked if the driver is above the legal limit.

Dave Durgin, a general partner with Verge Fund, a TruTouch investor, says the technology has been tested and is ready to be installed in vehicles.

“We’ve already demonstrated the feasibility of putting the technology into automobiles,” and “under phase II, we’ll actually put it into an automobile in partnership with Takata,” he said.

He hopes to “demonstrate it in an actual vehicle within 12 to 18 months.”