A recent condom innovation that could change the game for condom manufacturing and greatly affect cases of sexually related disease and infections was recently discovered in UK - and the people behind it, three teens aged 13 and 14. Fox News has the report.
Three students from Isaac Newton Academy in Essex, England, won the best health innovation award at the U.K.'s TeenTech awards in London on Tuesday for their concept called S.T.Eye -- a play on STI, or sexually transmitted infection.
Daanyaal Ali, 14, Muaz Nawaz, 13, and Chirag Shah, 14, came up with the idea of a condom that has a built-in indicator capable of color-changing when it comes in contact with a strain of bacteria, including Chlamydia and syphilis.
"We created the S.T.Eye as a new way for STI detection to help the future of the next generation," Ali, 14, said in an interview posted on the TeenTech website. "We wanted to make something that made detecting harmful STIs safer than ever before, so that people can take immediate action in the privacy of their own homes without the often-scary procedures at the doctors. We've made sure we're able to give peace of mind to users and let people act even more responsibly than ever before," CBS News reports.
"Once the 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," Ali told BBC.
While still in concept stage, the students already piqued the interest of a condom manufacturer interested to turn the idea into an actual product to bring to the market.
As a prize, the young inventors are set to visit the Buckingham Palace and were given $1,500 cash for their school.
The TeenTech Awards aim to give recognition to U.K.'s young achievers in science and technology. This year, more than a hundred young innovators and inventors took part in the event.
