Robert Frank Borkenstein

Robert Frank Borkenstein (August 31, 1912 – August 10, 2002) was an American inventor, researcher, and professor. He is best known for inventing the breathalyzer, a device that is used to detect a person's alcohol content from their breath. He graduated high school during the beginning of the Great Depression, and due to other financial issues and constraints he was unable to continue his education in college. He would find employment working in Fort Wayne as a photographic technician, where he developed an expertise in color film leading to his invention of a camera and replication of the Technicolor process for home use.

In 1954, he created what is commonly known as the Breathalyzer. This version was a more compact, and easier to operate breath test machine, which produced reliable results concerning blood alcohol content.