Zhao Wencai shows his DUI ignition switch at his office. Photo: Courtesy of Zhao Wencai

By Wen Ya

For 25-year-old Zhao Wencai, tragedy was the mother of invention.

In June of 2004, Zhao was only a freshman at China University of Geosciences (CUG) in Wuhan, Hubei Province when his father, 48, was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver in their Guizhou hometown on his way home from work.

"Shocked with the sadness of losing my father, I determined to invent a device which could prevent the same kind of tragedy happening to others," Zhao said.

Born to a peasant family in Renhuai, Guizhou Province, Zhao's interest in electronics was influenced by his father, an electrician by trade. Since then Zhang has acquired 20 Chinese patents, nine of which he got during his four years at CUG.

After three years of research and development, the young inventor ultimately produced an automobile ignition override switch that prevents drunk drivers from being able to start their cars.

"At the time I had never had anything patented. I was just a hobbyist," explained Zhao.

By touching a finger to an electronic scanner affixed to the dashboard, the device can determine blood alcohol levels by analyzing the sweat on a fingertip, producing accurate results within two seconds.

If blood alcohol levels are found to exceed the legal limit, the device cuts the ignition circuit to the car's engine, reporting the shutdown with an electronic voice prompt.

Inspiration and perspiration

Between 2005 and 2006, Zhao recruited four classmates help him in developing the idea, a period filled with financial, technical and personal challenges.

Funding was a problem from the get go. At the time, Zhao had only about 200 yuan ($29) to his name, a far cry from the 800 yuan of startup capital he needed.

"It was with the help of my teachers I managed to raise the rest of the money in 2005."

By putting everything he had in invention, Zhao was left only with 50 yuan to last him 20 days, during which he ate only steamed bread and free soup from the school cafeteria.

"In order to make sure there'd be some vegetables in my soup, I'd run to the dining room after class to beat the rush," Zhao explained.

However in 2006, relief came when Zhao sold his patent for a tap water heating system to a manufacturer for 140,000 yuan, more than enough to fund his project.

Later that year, he finally made a prototype built with a breath analysis component. However, the machine couldn't distinguish drivers and passengers. It would stop the engine no matter who had been drinking.

Eureka! Oh wait...

When developing an invention, often one needs "guinea pigs." Zhao would often treat his dinner to dinner and drinking, only to have them try out his invention later on.

At one point he asked for blood samples to further study blood alcohol.

"Most of them didn't dare have dinner with me after that," Zhao joked.

It was in 2007 he first read an article in an English science publication, which revealed that no matter what the environmental temperature, human beings constantly produce minute amounts of sweat.

That inspired him to invent a way to check alcohol levels by using a fingerprint.

Based on this new knowledge, the young inventor finally made his first working prototype later that year and got it patented in 2008.

That doesn't mean it was practical, or accident proof.

"It was as big as a taxi meter and not easy to carry, and took 20 minutes to produce an analysis," Zhao explained.

Once while having dinner (and plenty of drinks) with eight migrant-worker friends in Wuhan last year, the machine was put to the "impact test."

"Something so high-tech has to be pretty strong," said one of his friends as he drunkenly dropped the machine. Of course, the machine went kaput on impact, which meant Zhao had to start again.

"At that moment, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," he said

But sometimes, such accidents are a blessing in disguise.

Version 2.0

Zhao's updated machine is light and fast, checking alcohol levels within two seconds. The machine also functions as a fingerprint ID ignition switch.

Last year Zhao took his invention to the Third China International Road Transportation Safety Products Exhibition in Beijing. Although his machine attracted attention from foreign manufacturers and police, most expressed they "have no confidence in the prospect of the machine's market," talk which only spurs him on.

"That furthered my resolution to my own company well and develop this invention," Zhao said.

Zhao's company, Wuhan Jumpman IPR Advisory Services Co.,Ltd, employs 33 graduates all around his age. They also lecture on sci-tech innovations in universities around Wuhan.