PPB Sensitive Optical Breath Analyser

This internship will enable a very successful collaboration to continue between Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp. and Trent University, associated with designing and constructing a new generation of all‐optical breath alcohol sensors. The high‐sensitivity, highselectivity breathalysers that will emerge from this collaboration are expected to become a valued diagnostic tool within many sectors, from professional to recreational. Portable breathalysers are currently based on chemicallyinduced changes, while an all‐optical device could extend the existing advantages of these devices to include higher sensitivity, increased reliability, and a longer working life. With parts per billion sensitivity, there is also potential for passive detection of alcohol, without active participation of the person under question. ACS Corp has been a leading manufacturer of alcohol sensing instruments for more than 20 years, with a very active industrially‐related research program. This internship, funded in part by MITACS, will optimally combine the output from university‐based research with that from industry to enable a speedy development of a product that will undoubtedly have significant commercial potential.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Ralph Shiell

Student:

Bryan Van der Ende

Partner:

Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp.

Discipline:

Physics / Astronomy

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Trent University