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When you have a drink too many there're two ways you can get caught: you either fail the sobriety test or the breathalyzer clearly points that your booze level just got too high. In order to identify if a motorist is guilty of impaired driving due to marijuana use, one would normally need to agree with blood samples. But what if there’s a device that reads the THC (active ingredient in pot) level in your saliva instantly?
So drinking while driving is one of the reasons accidents happen, which is why the breathalyzer was more than handy once it was invented and used by police officers worldwide. However, until now, there wasn’t any similar device capable of detecting the THC level in your blood.
Dubbed TheCannibuster , the device was recently presented at the ninth annual LaunchTown Entrepreneurship Awards. The event celebrates five competitors representing some of the brightest and most innovative ideas being produced at northeast Ohio universities.
One of the projects that made it to the finals, the prototype is allegedly capable of detecting the THC concentration of motorists in a matter of minutes.
“Today, if a driver is suspected of impaired driving due to marijuana, law enforcement officers must call an Emergency Medical Squad to the scene or take the driver to a local hospital for blood work. Lab results can take up to six weeks to come back, which is clearly not ideal,” biomedical engineering Ph.D. student Kathleen Stitzlein said.
post-baccalaureate student in biomedical engineering Mariam Crow, Stitzlein is trying to create a first functional device to be presented to the authorities. The Cannibuster is a novel, microfluidic device that uses noninvasive saliva testing and lab-on-chip technology to detect THC levels in a matter of minutes.
The researchers believe their point-of-care device can determine the concentration of the chemical in the bloodstream, providing law enforcement officials with a quick, accurate roadside method to detect levels of THC. According to The University of Akron’s press release, the device has already received Ohio Third Frontier funding for further prototyping.
Additional funding for TheCannibuster would allow the team to create further partnerships with police headquarters especially in the states where marijuana has been legalized. This way they will find final device requirements from the end user’s perspective.
Dubbed The
One of the projects that made it to the finals, the prototype is allegedly capable of detecting the THC concentration of motorists in a matter of minutes.
“Today, if a driver is suspected of impaired driving due to marijuana, law enforcement officers must call an Emergency Medical Squad to the scene or take the driver to a local hospital for blood work. Lab results can take up to six weeks to come back, which is clearly not ideal,” biomedical engineering Ph.D. student Kathleen Stitzlein said.
Researchers will collaborate with police departments for development
Working withThe researchers believe their point-of-care device can determine the concentration of the chemical in the bloodstream, providing law enforcement officials with a quick, accurate roadside method to detect levels of THC. According to The University of Akron’s press release, the device has already received Ohio Third Frontier funding for further prototyping.
Additional funding for The
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