A team of teenage inventors have revealed a condom capable of changing colour when it comes into contact with STIs.The prescient prophylactic has a built-in indicator that alters its colour depending on what infection it picks up. It was revealed at the TeenTech Awards in London where it won the health category. The project is called the S.T.EYE and is a creation of Daanyaal Ali, 14, Muaz Nawaz, 13 and Chirag Shah, 14.
“We created the S.T.EYE as a new way for STI detection to help the future of the next generation,” said Daanyaal Ali, 14 from Isaan Newton Academy in Illford.We wanted to make something that make detecting harmful STIs safer than ever before, so that people can take immediate action in the privacy of their own homes without the invasive procedures at the doctors.We’ve made sure we’re able to give peace of mind to users and make sure people can be even more responsible than ever before.”
The students said the colour change would work on both sides of the condom, with different colours for different STIs – green for chlamydia, purple for genital warts, blue for syphilis and yellow for herpes.
Daanyaal explained: “Once the [bodily] fluids come into contact with the latex, if the person does have some sort of STI, it will cause a reaction through antibodies and antigens hanging on to each other, which triggers an antibody reaction causing a colour change.
Muaz said: “We were searching the internet and we came across a Reddit post called 20 Things That Should Be Invented, and it said a colour-changing condom. We decided to add the twist of reacting with an STI. We never thought we would pitch it, we thought we would get in trouble. Even though it’s a serious topic, [we were worried] some people would think we were taking it as a joke.”
The boys said they still have to test the science and feasibility of their idea. They want to work with a university on the science and say they’ve already been contacted by a condom company which is interested in working with them on developing the concept further.