“Office breathalyzer” invented by Lithuanian scientists

A new device developed by researchers at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University is aimed at doing just that to fight alcohol abuse and give employers the opportunity to monitor their employees who show up at work fuzzy or drunk.

The system, called dirbkblaivus.lt, also takes photos of the person’s face to identify them and uses the photos in assessing their sobriety.

“I believe that many firms would like to purchase such a device and put it at their office door,” said Kazimieras Arlauskas, director of the Science, Innovation and Technology Agency which sponsors the project.

Though the “smart breathalyzer” is still in the works, its developers say they have produced a prototype device for testing and will be able to launch mass production soon.

All devices would be connected to a central system and offered to firms at a monthly fee. Employers would have to create a database of their employees and upload six photos of each.

Besides being alerted with a text message about any employee who shows up at work not entirely sober, employers would be able to log onto their accounts and see the photos of the intoxicated workers and their blood alcohol content test results.

“I believe this innovation will change the world the way that the internet changed it once,” said Šarūnas Paulikas, dean of the Electronics Faculty at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.