Robert F. Borkenstein

Robert F. Borkenstein was an American forensic scientist and academic best known for inventing the Breathalyzer, the instrument that measures blood alcohol content from a breath sample. He began his career with the Indiana State Police crime laboratory, where he also advanced forensic photography and polygraph technique, before unveiling the Breathalyzer in 1954 after refining an earlier device called the Drunkometer with Professor Rolla Harger. He later chaired Indiana University's Department of Police Administration and directed its Center for Studies of Law in Action, and his 1962 to 1963 Grand Rapids Study on drunk driving helped support lower legal blood alcohol limits.