The developer of a new roadside cannabis test is using the same eye movement technology behind its FDA-cleared device for rapidly diagnosing concussions on sports field sidelines.
Oculogica today announced its OcuPro device for detecting recent marijuana use and impairment. The headset device weighs less than 2 lb and is roughly the size of a large pair of binoculars, measuring around 8 in. long and wide and 3.25 in. tall.
The noninvasive test takes less than a minute to conduct and immediately offers results, which are stored on the device and uploaded to the cloud.
How the cannabis test works
The headset “measures dynamics of pupil size and movement with respect to each other in response to simple visual stimuli that varies in brightness and consists of images moving around a small screen,” the company said. “Pupil size and position measurements are used to calculate a ‘score’ that has been clinically validated in a large clinical study of 175 cannabis users compared with non-users to correlate with cannabis usage, and impairment due to cannabis use.”
Oculogica said the test does not replace a trained drug recognition expert or provide data that can be used as evidence. Rather, it can help establish probable cause like a field sobriety test and help an officer get a warrant for a blood test.