health

Worried a sexual partner might have a STI? Students have invented a condom to fix that.

Image via iStock.

It’s like a contraceptive mood ring, although changing colours is really the last thing you want to see when you use it.

Meet S.T.EYE, the latest ‘smart’ condom that alerts you if your partner has an STI.

How does it do this? It, erm, changes colour.

The concept is the brainchild of three 13 and 14-year-old students in the UK (unlikely inventors, no?) as a way to solve increasing infection rates and has earned the group a TeenTech award for best health innovation.

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The condom would include a layer impregnated with molecules that attach to the viruses and bacteria of some of the most common sexually transmitted infections.

This would make the molecules glow a certain colour in low light dependent on the particular infection it detects, such as green for chlamydia, yellow for herpes, purple for HPV and blue for syphilis, said the designers. (Post continues after gallery.)

The idea comes as health groups (both local and international) are reporting a significant rise in the number of STI cases, which many attribute to the use of “hook up” apps like Tinder.

According to Queensland Health, Chlamydia cases have risen 13 per cent since September 2012 (when Tinder first launched), while cases of Gonorrhoea have also increased by 10 per cent in the same period.

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“We created the S.T.EYE as a new way for STI detection to help the future of the next generation,” co-creator 14 year-old Daanyaal Ali told the Daily Mail.

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“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.”. (Post continues after gallery.)

“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,” he said

The students hope they can turn their idea into a reality in the future.

While anything that promotes safe sex, reduces the risk of catching STIs and encourages people to get check out is to be celebrated and applauded, we do have a few questions.

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1. How do you know if the colour has changed, considering it’s got to be inserted into the vagina first? Do you have to pause, check then give the go-ahead?

2. What happens if you have more than one STI? Does it turn into a rainbow?

We guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Would you use this smart condom?