A group of teenagers have just invented a condom which is totally different from the regular ones and could tell the users when it detects a Sexually Transmitted Infection, STI, by changing colour .
Among the inventors of the S.T.EYE condom are 13-year-old Muaz Nawaz, 14-year-old Daanyaal Ali, and 14-year-old Chirag Shah, from London’s Isaac Newton Academy.
The trio came up with the idea, which won top prize at the TeenTech Awards, as a way to fight the increasing rates of STIs.
The boys’ smart condom was awarded top prize in the health category over the weekend and by virtue of the award, they got £1,000 for their school and will get to visit Buckingham Palace to receive their award.
Sources said the condom uses a built-in layer of molecules that glow different colours when they come into contact with bacteria and viruses associated with the most common STIs.
The colour it changes to is dependent on the infection detected.
Here is a list of the diffeernt colours and the infections they represent:
Green – Chlamydia
Yellow – Herpes
Blue – Syphylis
Purple indicates the presence of the virus which causes genital warts.
One of the 14-year-old inventors, Daanyaal, explains: “We wanted to create something that makes 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 more responsible than ever before.”
The colourful condoms are not available to buy at the moment – a spokesperson for the awards told the Daily Dot that they are only ‘very much a concept and… not a finalised design’.
