Breathometer
 Breathometer Mint at CES 2016 | |
| Invented by | Charles Michael Yim |
|---|---|
| Launch year | 2012 |
| Company | Breathometer |
| Availability | Available |
| Website |
www |
Breathometer is a device that lets users measure their blood alcohol content using their iOS and Android smartphones.[1] Breathometer was founded in September 2012 by Charles Michael Yim, who is the company’s current CEO.[2][1] The company is headquartered in Burlingame, CA.[2]
Company history
Breathometer was founded by Charles Michael Yim in 2012 after he noted that there were no commercial breathalyzers for the smartphone market, and the only portable breathalyzers commercially available were both expensive and impractical for users to take with them on a night out.[1][3]
The company was partly funded through preorders collected via an Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign, which ran until April 2013.[1][4][5] The campaign’s original goal was to raise $25,000, but by the time it closed, it had raised $138,000.[6][7]
The Breathometer
The Breathometer is a small device that plugs into the audio jack of a smartphone, coupled with a dedicated app that reads the user’s blood alcohol content (BAC).[4][8][9][5] The app utilizes the smartphone to provide the processing power, which allows the device to be small enough to fit on a standard keychain.[4][8]
If the user’s BAC level is over the legal limit, the app displays one-click calls to local taxi services, friends from contact lists living close by, or local hotels.[3][9]
Sample beta units were handed out at the 2013 SXSW in Austin, TX.[3]
The company has since expanded its mission. Breathometer plan to release the Mint, an oral health tracker that tells the user if they have bad breath. Sensors in the device track biomarkers associated with bad breath and have the potential to measure compounds that correlate to gum disease. The company has a partnership with Philips in the area of oral hygiene.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Ryan Lawler (April 5, 2013). "The Breathometer Will Ensure You Don’t Drive (Or Do Video Interviews) While Drunk". TechCrunch. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Breathometer, Inc. Profile". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Breathometer Helps You Party Responsibly". Substream Music Press. March 15, 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 David J. Hill (April 9, 2013). "BREATHOMETER — A BREATHLYZER FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE". Singularity Hub. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 Dean Takahashi (March 13, 2013). "Breathometer unveils the first smartphone breathalyzer". Venture Beat. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ Charles Michael Yim. "Breathometer - A Smartphone Breathalyzer". Indiegogo. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ Shane McGlaun (March 27, 2013). "Breathometer blows past funding goal and adds new stretch goals". Slash Gear. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Smartphone breathalyzer tells when you're too drunk to drive". CBS News. March 19, 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- 1 2 Eric Griffith (March 29, 2013). "Breathometer Turns Smartphones Into Personal Breathalyzers". PC Mag. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ Patrick Seitz (January 8, 2016). "'Smell tech' firms sniff out bad breath, alcohol, air pollution". Investors Business Daily. Retrieved 13 January 2016.