An iPhone application invented by a Nashville, Tenn., man can tell UF students how drunk they are.
BreathalEyes, invented by Clay Bradley, works by taking a rapid series of snapshots of a user's eye. It then uses the photos to detect involuntary jerking movements of the eye, called horizontal gaze nystagmus, that can happen when people drink.
Bradley would not say how many times the app has been downloaded since its launch due to a privacy policy. He said 36 people in Florida visited the app's website from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7 and that the app's target audience is young adults.
Some UF students said they thought the app was worth the 99-cent price, but some were skeptical about using it as a gauge of sobriety.
Bradley said he hopes the app, which is only meant to be used by people who have been drinking, will help young adults stay safe when they drink.
The app, which was released Nov. 21, reports the user's blood alcohol level, but it will never give a level of zero for legal reasons, Bradley said.
BreathalEyes is available on Apple products and works best on the iPhone 4, he said. It should be available for Android phones later this year.
Jesse Arnold, an interactive media developer for UF's Digital Worlds Institute, said the idea seems marketable, especially to college students.
"I imagine there's some market for them — whether it's people wanting to know if they're safe to drive or if it's just like a party game," he said.
Student reaction ranged from skepticism to acceptance.
"This app will allow young adults to make the decision whether they should drive or not," said Teresa Dao, a 19-year-old telecommunication sophomore.
Brandi Applebaum, an 18-year-old marketing freshman, said she thinks the app could cause more problems than it fixes.
"I think it's cool, but I think it could be dangerous if it's highly inaccurate and underestimates the blood alcohol level."
