Law enforcement agencies currently lack a reliable, portable, non-invasive method to detect recent illicit drug consumption (cannabinoids, opioids, amphetamines) in the field, comparable to a breathalyzer used for alcohol detection. Existing methods—urine or blood testing—are invasive, time-consuming, legally cumbersome, and unsuitable for rapid roadside screening.
Design and build a portable, non-invasive breath-based hardware detection device capable of identifying biomarkers and aerosolized traces of consumed drugs rapidly in field conditions.
Exhaled drug metabolites exist in minute picogram concentrations suspended within complex humid breath matrices; achieving high selectivity against oral contaminants, tobacco, and ambient vapors without false positives requires advanced sensor engineering.
A handheld, battery-powered breath collection device utilizing functionalized nanomaterial sensor arrays (e.g., quartz crystal microbalance, functionalized carbon nanotubes, or electrochemical sensors), on-device signal processing, rapid result turnaround (<2 minutes), and encrypted digital record storage.