New technology used within thermal imaging cameras could, apparently, be used to determine whether a person is drunk or not.
It’s believed that the new innovations in thermal equipment would one day allow police and other individuals to pick out drunken people from a crowd, allowing them to remove anyone who’s being drunk and disorderly from areas such as football matches.
When humans consume alcohol, it has an effect on the temperature of our faces. Dilation in blood vessels within the cheeks and an increase in heat around the nose are tell-tale signs of drunkenness, and it is this that the thermal imaging cameras would be used to pick up on.
A similar concept was used recently in airports, where thermal cameras were used to pick up on people with dangerous infections like SARS.
Honestly, it all sounds a bit unnecessary. It’s generally quite easy to spot a drunk person already; just watch out for the stumbling, slurred speech and general loudness. If police start using thermal cameras to locate drunken people it just sounds bit like extra expenditure that isn’t really needed. It’ll also more than likely be vastly unpopular with the general public who may see is as an invasion of privacy.
There’s also the chance that a person may have a naturally warmer face than others thanks to existing conditions, and by using thermal technology in this way police and other organisations could end up falsely accusing people of drunkenness.
