Anicet Mbida 06:52, January 12, 2023

Anicet Mbida delivers to us every morning what is best in terms of innovation.

This Thursday, he is interested in a novelty in the fight against drunk driving.

We will soon be able to measure blood alcohol levels just by saying a few words into a microphone.

The innovation of the day is a new way to know your blood alcohol level.

No more blowing into the ball.

Soon, it will be enough to say a few words in front of a microphone.

It's a great idea: it could be done with the assistant of our phones.

We can ask him “OK Google, Alexa, Siri… am I drunk?

".

It will analyze our voice and deduce very precisely the alcohol level that we have in the blood.

Well, right now it's easy.

We are in the middle of “Dry January”.

So you're not supposed to drink a single drop of alcohol.

But if we fell for a glass of wine or a small beer.

This will allow you to self-test before hitting the road to avoid putting others at risk.

Or, quite simply, to self-regulate, because we are not always aware of our alcohol level.

It's convenient, but is it reliable?

It will never be as reliable as a blood test or a breathalyzer (the only legally recognized instruments).

But it already gives results comparable to those of chemical tests: those found in stores or used by the police for screening.

So it's a real alternative.

It is a technique that was developed by researchers at La Trobe University in Australia.

They relied on artificial intelligence and the study of millions of voice samples.

There is still a small constraint: for this to work, you need a voice sample of at least 12 seconds.

We can't just say a word or two.

You will have to use whole sentences.

Is this a technique that could be used by the constabulary?

If it manages to make you talk for more than 12 seconds!

And that will probably be easier than having some people blow the ball.

I don't know if you know this, but there are those who cheat, pretending not to be able to breathe.

And there are others who are so tipsy they can't blow hard enough or long enough.

But this technique could above all facilitate integration into car starters.

With current breathalyzers, it's complicated and very expensive.

It will be much easier if all you need is an application on a phone or on the voice assistant in the car.