New DUI device aims to help cops, improve evidence
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A former law enforcement officer in Pulaski County who knows well the challenge of performing field sobriety tests while traffic whizzes by has invented a device that automates the most complicated portion of the test—taking the pressure off the cop and producing more reliable evidence for convictions. On the doorstep of testing with a state police department, Peter Zahrt says he’s hopeful fundraising will soon be in place to manufacture the device for the 10 police departments—some in Indiana—already in line to purchase it.
The Field Sobriety Test includes three portions: the Walk and Turn test, One Leg Stand test and the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, in which the suspect tracks the officer’s finger with his or her eyes. The HGN test is the most accurate in determining if a driver is under the influence, but also the most complicated for the officer to perform—and the focus of Zahrt’s device.
The officer must juggle exact protocol—the distance of his finger from the suspect’s face, the number of seconds it must travel on a horizontal plane and the number of seconds to pause on each side—all while watching for the eyes to twitch or “bounce,” an involuntary movement that indicates impairment.
“It’s a lot going on. You’re also watching the suspect, their car, others in the car, traffic, your entire surroundings, and have to remember what clue you saw, and when and where,” says Zahrt, founder and CEO of Winamac-based Tippecanoe Tech Inc. “I was doing the test on a person I’d suspected was drunk driving, had a mental lapse, and I forgot where I was within the battery of the test. I thought, ‘Why are we still doing it this way? There’s got to be a better way.’”
Even subtle errors in administering the HGN test can negate its use in court. Zahrt believes his device, called Nygt Ryder (pronounced “night rider”) is the answer. The device includes a video camera that sits on top of a “T” shaped pole; with the push of a button, LED lights create a sliding light along the horizontal portion of the “T” for the suspect to track with his eyes, and the camera records the suspect’s eyes throughout the test. Because the device performs the test for the officer, Zahrt says “his attention isn’t divided as much, and he’s able to focus more” on watching the eyes.
“Hopefully, having the tech will allow officers to not feel so much pressure in performing the test correctly and also inspire confidence in them that, ‘I have a piece of tech that’s going to record and perform the test for me, and it’s going to do it in an unbiased manner,’” says Zahrt. “‘I have this confidence now, so let’s go after DUIs more and drive down that big scary number of how many people die as a result of DUI.’ That’s the goal of the company.”
Zahrt says his ideal scenario is for the Indiana State Police to be among the departments that adopt Nygt Rider when it becomes available.
Zahrt, a Purdue University graduate who patrolled national parks throughout the U.S., says recording video of the test will also help officers “gather good evidence.” He notes “career alcoholics” can beat the other two field tests “even if they’re three times the legal limit, but their eyes will always tell the true story.”
“In a DUI investigation, everything is recorded—the car while driving, a picture of the driver’s license, the interview with the driver—everything except the HGN test,” says Zahrt. “Now the officer can go into court with a video of the eyes.”
Zahrt says the device is “entirely grant fundable,” making it affordable even for budget-strapped small police departments. He has other related products in the pipeline and already earned a follow-on patent for Nygt Rider, a reference to “Nystagmus” and the iconic 1980s TV show Knight Rider, starring a car with a sliding light bar similar to his device.
Zahrt says Nygt Rider could open the door to other products beyond field sobriety tests.
“We can use AI to learn from thousands of videos of intoxicated persons’ eye movements; maybe AI will detect something the naked eye can’t even see,” says Zahrt. “Hopefully, we can come up with a one-pass tool for alcohol, and our moon shot is…a single test for drugs or alcohol.”
Zahrt is working with the IDEA Center, the University of Notre Dame’s commercialization and entrepreneurial office, which partners with not only students and faculty, but also local entrepreneurs. He says the startup’s progress would’ve taken twice as long without “the tremendous resource.”
Zahrt says the IDEA Center has been invaluable in providing guidance and important connections.
Zahrt plans to keep the Indiana-grown project in the Hoosier state and has lined up Indianapolis-based product development firm Catalyst to manufacture Nygt Rider. Tippecanoe Tech has raised more than $400,000 and is looking for funders to reach $2.5 million.
Zahrt says more than just making “officers’ lives easier,” Nygt Rider collects data that helps get convictions, which ultimately saves lives. He’s puzzled that some people seem numb to tragic DUI statistics.
“Maybe I have a different view because I’ve worked some pretty bad crashes,” says Zahrt. “What gets me excited is creating something that’s going to save lives, it’s fair, and it’s going to help officers. Driving under the influence is incredibly dangerous. Let’s make a dent in it.”