A group of teenage students from London, UK, have developed a condom that glows different colors if it detects a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
The cleverly named S.T.EYE is the brainchild of Muaz Nawaz (13 years), Daanyaal Ali (14 years), and Chirag Shah (14 years), who wanted to “make detecting harmful STIs safer than ever before” without using invasive tests.
The ‘smart’ condom bagged the students, who all attend London’s Isaac Newton Academy, the top health innovation prize at the prestigious TeenTech Awards, which promotes science, engineering, and technology in schools.
The condom’s built-in indicator changes color depending on which bacteria or infection it detects. It glows green for chlamydia, yellow for herpes, purple for human papillomavirus (HPV), and blue for syphilis.
Chemical molecules in the condom attach to the bacteria of common STIs, causing it to fluoresce in low light. It’s all really rather clever.
In winning the competition, the boys secured a £1,000 cash reward along with a trip to Buckingham Palace, where they will be presented with their prize.
The invention is still a concept but the BBC reports that the trio has been contacted by a contraceptive company about development of the product.
Here’s hoping it’ll be on the shelves soon.
