DADSS Research Program
Inventing a world without drunk driving.
First Generation Technology Announcement -
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is ACTS announcing?
How does the DADSS technology differ from existing technology?
- Ease of use–only a small puff of breath is needed compared to a forced deep lung sample of breath;
- Lifetime calibration compared to repeated and frequent recalibration depending upon usage;
- No mouth piece used thereby avoiding significant plastic waste; and
- Lower Total Cost of ownership.
What does “open licensing” mean and who can license the technology?
Why would I want to license this technology for my fleet or fleet service offering?
The first-generation DADSS alcohol detection technology can provide companies an added layer of protection for their drivers, employees and staff to ensure a driver cannot operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. There are numerous benefits to integrating this technology into your fleet – from preventing injuries and crashes on the road to giving company managers additional protection from liabilities associated with drinking and driving.
Licensing DADSS technology provides many benefits, including:
- Improved time to market;
- Greatly reduced research and development costs;
- Opportunity to enter new markets or provide new product offerings
How do I know if the DADSS technology is right for my fleet or fleet service offering?
If your company provides services or equipment to fleets or owns a commercial fleet of vehicles – large or small – we invite you to learn more about the first-generation alcohol detection system to see if it is a good fit. This first-generation system is designed for fleet operators implementing a zero-tolerance alcohol policy for their drivers, meaning the system recognizes alcohol levels at or above 0.02%. 0.02% is the industry standard level at which the system knows there is breath alcohol detected beyond other liquids that contain alcohol, like mouthwash.
DADSS technologies will be licensed to both automotive and non–automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEM”) capable of manufacturing, deploying, servicing, warranting and remedying the technology. Typically, these are manufacturers within the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) common industry classification sector 31–33, “Manufacturing.”
Transportation–related
Non–transportation–related
How will the technology be integrated into my fleet?
Has this technology ever been integrated into fleet vehicles before?
Yes. Through a partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Driven to Protect Initiative, a private company was engaged to conduct in-vehicle, on-road test trials of the DADSS technology. James River Transportation, based in Richmond, Virginia, has been a transportation leader for 90 years with an impressive history of using technology to advance safety. Since partnership began in 2018, technology integrators have installed breath sensors into James River Transportation’s Ford Flex commercial vehicles. The data and feedback collected from the sensors, as well as from the drivers themselves, have been invaluable in finalizing the technology as it is prepared for widespread commercialization.
For more information on the partnership with James River Transportation, click here and watch this video here.
How much will the technology cost?
How does the technology work?
DADSS technology provides a real–time, highly precise and highly accurate, near instantaneous direct measurement of a driver’s impairment by alcohol.
The first-generation system requires only a limited breath sample – like blowing out a candle – and gives an accurate reading in a second or less. Drivers provide a puff of breath directed towards a small sensor, which can be outfitted in the steering column, side door trim or anywhere that is in close proximity to the driver.
The information presented to the user can be customized, and product integrators will be able to choose options like showing the user a “pass/fail” reading, a set of color-coded warnings, or displaying the exact breath alcohol concentration in real-time.
Will the technology prevent a vehicle from starting or moving after detecting alcohol?
Can the technology be tampered with?
Will the technology work with face masks?
Will this technology inconvenience my drivers, staff or company employees?
What if I have other alcohol detection technologies in my fleet already?
Is there a minimum number of vehicles I need in my fleet to license the technology?
No.
What is the process for licensing?
ACTS has established an open licensing process for all intellectual property generated by the DADSS Program or to which ACTS has license rights. ACTS licenses DADSS intellectual property that can be developed into commercial products, rather than selling the products itself.
The licensee continues advancement of the technology and makes other business investments to develop the product or service. This step may entail further development, regulatory approvals, training, and other activities. ACTS maintains an ongoing working relationship with each licensee over the term of the license agreement to monitor progress and ensure product development. Because of ACTS’ private, nonprofit status, it can and will offer its licensees confidentiality, which can be very important when dealing with new product development and deployment.
Senseair and its distribution partner are also planning to offer an option to buy a standalone product. More information can be found by contacting Senseair via their website here.
What types of licensing are available?
A license grants permission to use intellectual property owned by ACTS, or to which ACTS has rights, to another party – the licensee. A license agreement defines the rights of the licensee to use the technology and the responsibilities of the licensee to bring the technology to market.
Three types of agreements are offered. These are:
- Nondisclosure Agreement: A Nondisclosure Agreement (“NDA”) shall be executed between ACTS and a prospective licensee wanting to enter into discussions on a possible collaboration for the realization and sale of products incorporating DADSS intellectual property.
- Pre–commercialization Agreement: A Pre–commercialization Agreement (“PCA”) shall be executed between ACTS and a prospective commercial licensee wanting to engage in its own activities exploring the design, development, validation, marketing, distribution and sale of specific products incorporating DADSS sensors or systems prior to actual active commercialization activities.
- Commercialization Agreement: A Commercialization Agreement (“CA”) shall be executed between ACTS and a commercial licensee wanting to bring new products or services to market incorporating DADSS sensors or systems. The broader act of commercialization entails additional business investment to establish production, distribution, marketing, sales, training, customer support capabilities, as well as all other key functions such as securing regulatory approvals, critical to achieving the commercial success of the new product or service.
If I am an automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEM”) and want to integrate DADSS technology into my fleet, what would that include?
A DADSS Reference Design for commercial licensing by OEM Licensees includes schematics, specifications, minimum hardware requirements, and other documentation relating to the hardware design of the DADSS Derivative being licensed.
The main purpose of a Reference Design process is to support OEMs in development of next generation products using the latest technologies. The reference product is proof of the platform concept and is usually targeted for specific applications. Reference Design packages enable a fast track to market thereby cutting costs and reducing risk in the OEM’s integration project.
As the predominant customer for Reference Designs are OEMs, many reference designs are created as a means to increase the likelihood that the product will be designed into the OEMs product.
ACTS performs the necessary testing and analyses to make a data–driven, science–based objective decision regarding the readiness of a Reference Design to be licensed to OEM (“OEM Licensees”). DADSS Reference Designs will have completed acceptance testing at the component or system level, including:
- Verification and Validation (“V&V”) Testing to demonstrate conformance with established performance specifications. The goal of performing the V&V testing is to understand the performance of the DADSS sensors under tightly controlled laboratory conditions such as the impact of temperature and other environment factors (humidity) using a well-defined artificial alcohol sample.
- Human Subjects Testing (“HST”) adds variability due to human interaction and biologic differences. The goal of the HST is to understand the performance of the DADSS sensors in a controlled setting with blood alcohol samples obtained from human subjects via venipuncture – the reference “gold” standard for BAC measurements.
- Field Operational Trials (“FOT”) both in controlled (Human Subject Driving or “HSD”) and naturalistic fleet operational trials of FOTs are being conducted to understand the performance of the sensors in a real-world driving environment. FOT testing adds variability due to human breath or touch sample, operator–sensor interface interactions, and vehicle and environmental factors.
Who should I contact if I’m interested in licensing the technology?
Where can I learn more about the announcement and the technology?
For information on the open licensing announcement, stay tuned to www.actsautosafety.org
For information on the DADSS Research Program, visit www.dadss.org
For information on the first-generation system, visit the manufacturer’s website at https://senseair.com/applications/alcohol-sensing/
