A new technology designed to improve roadway safety and modernize impaired driving investigations is taking shape in Hilliard.
DAXcam, the parent company of the DAX™ Evidence Recorder, has partnered with Converge Technologies through the Hilliard City Lab program to finalize engineering, manufacturing and commercialization of the device. The company will be housed at Converge’s Hilliard facility as production ramps up.
The DAX™ Evidence Recorder captures and records eye movements during roadside sobriety testing, providing law enforcement officers with video evidence to support their observations.
For City leaders, the partnership represents more than a new product launch. It demonstrates how Hilliard’s City Lab initiative can help bring emerging technologies to market while supporting local manufacturing and workforce development.
“This is exactly the kind of project City Lab was created to support,” said David Meadows, director of economic development for the City of Hilliard. “It connects innovation, local manufacturing and workforce development in a way that benefits the entire community.”
Ron Waldorf, a vestibular physiologist with a background in medical research, originally developed infrared computer image processing technology to track involuntary eye movements in patients experiencing vertigo, dizziness and other balance-related conditions. Decades ago, he recognized a similar need in law enforcement.
“Officers have long used eye movements and pupil size as part of standardized field sobriety testing,” Waldorf said. “But until this device, there wasn’t a way to record exactly what the officer was seeing.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, eye examinations are a key component of roadside impairment detection protocols. The DAX™ Evidence Recorder allows officers to conduct the test in accordance with those manuals while simultaneously capturing video and audio of the subject’s responses.
Waldorf and Dick Studdard, a retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department, began developing the product more than 25 years ago. After selling over 200 early units, the company paused operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Waldorf relocated to Ohio to be closer to family and connected with Converge Technologies.
John Bair, CEO of Converge Technologies, said the partnership reflects the company’s growing focus on bringing new technologies to market from Hilliard.
“We’re moving beyond consulting to actively commercialize innovative technologies here in Hilliard,” Bair said. “We want to manufacture products locally and bring them to market from right here in our community.”
Converge engineers worked alongside Waldorf to refine the device, conducting interviews with law enforcement officers to improve usability and functionality. The updated DAX™ Evidence Recorder now includes Wi-Fi capability and enhanced user-friendly features.
To date, 25 units have been built in Hilliard, with plans to produce 100 additional devices in the next phase of manufacturing. College interns participating through the Ohio Manufacturing Innovation Center have also contributed to the engineering and development process.
Waldorf, who now serves as DAXcam’s chief technology and science officer, said the goal is simple: make roads safer.
“For the first time, officers can provide video proof of what they observed during the eye exam,” Waldorf said. “It’s objective documentation.”
The company plans to debut the updated DAX™ Evidence Recorder at the Lifesavers Conference on Roadway Safety in April in Baltimore.
