Safety measures especially when it comes to engaging in sexual activities have been constantly advocated by numerous groups in the past years. With the growing number of people falling victims to sexually transmitted diseases (STD), or sexually transmitted infections (STI) particularly among the youth of today, the recent proposal submitted by a group of pupils could not have come at a more opportune time.
Muaz Nawaz, Daanyaal Ali, and Chirag Shah, boys aged 13 to 14 years old studying at London's Isaac Newton Academy, invented the "smart condom," which would immediately turn into a different color once an STI is detected, according to E Online. The said invention, called "S.T.EYE," is the submission of the pupils to the annual Teen Tech Awards in the United Kingdom which is an event that encourages the young generation to cultivate their skills in various fields of study such as science, technology and engineering. The group that created "S.T.EYE" bagged the top prize for the health category for this year's event, according to Elite Daily.
The designers explained that the "smart condom" has a built-in detector which would determine the type of virus or bacteria it comes across. For instance, it "might glow green for chlamydia, yellow for herpes, purple in the presence of the human papillomavirus which causes genital warts, and blue for syphilis," according to Daily Mail.
"We created the S.T.EYE as a new way for STI detection to help the future of the next generation," elucidated 14-year-old Ali to Daily Mail. He added, "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 even more responsible than ever before."
World Health Organization describes STIs as "infections that are spread primarily through person-to-person sexual contact." It adds that "there are more than 30 different sexually transmissible bacteria, viruses and parasites." Among these diseases, WHO identifies gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection, syphilis, trichomoniasis, chancroid, genital herpes, genital warts, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and hepatitis B infection as the most commonly suffered by the victims. Apart from the victims themselves, the organization warns that the diseases, particularly HIV and syphilis, could actually "be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth, and through blood products and tissue transfer."
