Teens propose condom that changes color when in contact with STD

Condoms. AP File Photo

A group of teenagers have taken the practice of safe sex a notch higher with an inventive idea.

How about a condom that can detect sexually transmitted diseases (STD) upon contact with a partner, a trio of British students from the Isaac Newton Academy in east London have suggested.

Muaz Nawaz, 13, Daanyaal Ali, 14, and Chirag Shah, 14, proposed  the cleverly titled ”S.T. Eye” condom during UK’s TeenTech Awards, which eventually netted them the top prize for the event’s health category. The group has reportedly been approached by various condom companies for their idea, according to the Washington Post.

“There would be antibodies on the condom that would interact with the antigens of STD’s, causing the condom to change colors depending on the disease,” Shah explained how the technology works in the report.

“For instance, if the condom were exposed to chlamydia, it might glow green — or yellow for herpes, purple for human papilloma virus and blue for syphilis,” he added.

Aside from the global recognition,  the trio won £1,000 (P73,293) for their cognitive effort, while several condom experts have gathered to turn their idea into fruition.

Their concept, however, is not without its set of imperfections. It remains unclear whether the STDs would be detected in just the user’s partner or the condom wearer as well.

In addition, there’s the awkward question of what would happen if the condom came into contact with two or more STDs—not to mention the logistical difficulties of figuring out a way to determine the color, with sufficient opportunity to make use of those findings.  Khristian Ibarrola