Saw a story about this thing in Entrepreneur. Biron and Jonathan Ofir were two young guys who worked together in the Safety and Logistics Division of the Israeli Defense Forces. They soon learned that vehicular accidents accounted for more military deaths than actual combat – and alcohol was often a factor in the collisions. The two men came up with an idea for a Do It Yourself Breathalyzer. But they lacked the resources to pursue it while with IDF.

After completing their tours with IDF they returned to their college studies – Biron in North Carolina and Ofir in Israel. And, they continued working on their concept. In 2011, they officially launched the Alcohoot concept – through a website[Alcohoot.com]; a video and with social media. They hoped to create some buzz and scare away competitors.

They did create some buzz – which led to over $1 million in investment money. And by April, 2013, they were prepared for a limited launch of the Alcohoot, pictured above. It is about the size of a pack of matches and fits in a purse or pocket. To use it, the drinker simply plugs it into the headset jack of his smartphone and blows into it. A Blood Alcohol Reading [BAC] then appears on your phone. The 2000 units they made available quickly sold out.

Alcohoot officially launched in late 2013. Units are available for $119 and come in black, read and white. Biron and Ofir hope that the Alcohoot leads to more responsible drinking, which hopefully will reduce the number of fatalities and injuries associated with drunk driving.