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Drug detecting jewellery

Image credit: Mrballeng / Instructables

Spook Louw

Spook Louw Jul 19, 2021

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Initially, I thought of creating a glass that can detect and alarm you to date rape drugs. My research on that idea led me to Drink Savvy, I then considered a straw that can do the same thing and found this, it is worth noting that both of those are still good ideas and neither of them seems to have ever made it to the production stage. The drug-detecting glass' website has been repurposed and there has been no news on the drug-detecting straws since 2017. So those are still opportunities.

During my research I also found Sip Chip who manufacture small and discreet drug tests. They seem to be doing well, but their products are single-use and still needs to be brought along, meaning there is a chance that you might find yourself in a situation where you suspect your drink might have been spiked but you do not have one with you to test. 

My idea is to combine these three innovations to create a pendant on a necklace or wristband or even a ring that contains everything you need to test your drink for drugs. 

The ideal product would be reusable, allowing you to test multiple drinks throughout the night, but seeing as the three examples I have given all rely on single-use tests, the idea is to combine the methods used by Drink Savvy and Sip Chip, and create thin, compact, test sheets that could be dispensed from a locket on a necklace or from under a ring.

My thinking behind using jewellery for these tests is simply that it is discreet and always on your person for quick access at any time.

safety drugs sexual violence

1

Creative contributions

A Special Type of Ice Cubes can be Manufactured so that they Color the Drink or Sink if the drink has been Drugged

Samuel Bello

Samuel Bello Jul 29, 2021

Ice usually always floats on pure water. If a substance is added to the water it will alter the density of the water and the ice will not float anymore if the density of the water reduces. This can be used as an indicator to determine if your drinks have been drugged in a public place like a bar. to put this into effect, the density of the ice cubes can be controlled for every drink. The densities will be regulated so that some ice cubes will float(let us call these floaters) and the other ice cubes will sink (let us call these sinkers). An equal number of floaters and sinkers will be added to your drink so that when a substance is added to your drink the sinkers start floating or the floaters start sinking. The use of this type of ice cube can be made a necessity in all public drinking places. An alternative approach is to add PH-sensitive materials to the ice cubes so that they change the color of the drink when something is added to the drink. The production of drinks can involve the addition of PH-sensitive coloring agents that conspicuously change their color when foreign substances are added to the drink.
These could be more reliable than drug testing jewelry since their always in the drink and it is not unusual to insist that icecubes be added to your drink. When using drug test jewelry, one may have to test the same cup of their drink more than once if they look away or leave their table.

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Manel Lladó Santaeularia

Manel Lladó Santaeularia3 years ago

First of all, although ice floats on water, most drinks people drink at bars are not pure water. In most situations where a person could be drugged, there is alcohol involved. This is because it's easy for the attacker to use the "drunkedness" of the victim as an excuse for taking them away. For these reasons, it doesn't make sense to make ice cubes that sink when a person has been drugged, because they would not float in the first place. Additionally, changes in density are not that big if you add a small quantity of a substance in the water.

Also, it would be very difficult, expensive and basically unfeasable to have different ice cubes for every drink. Some bars can have upwards of 50 drinks you can have. Also, those ice cubes with very specific characteristics would have to be made in a lab or factory and would be way too expensive for the bars to use.

In addition, the point of the systems being discussed in the session is that they are discrete. If you use a PH sensitive reagent to change the PH of your drink, that would also be visible to your attacker, losing all discretion. That's not to mention that most PH sensing chemicals are not edible or, if they are, may alter the taste/properties of the drink.

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General comments

Samuel Bello

Samuel Bello3 years ago

I think a wristband or ring will do just fine. A pendant or necklace can make your drug testing more obvious. The existing drug testing methods require the suspected liquid to touch the device used to test for drugs. If it was a necklace or a pendant then one might have to dip a small part of the jewelry in every cup or pour a small amount of the drink on the piece of jewelry. When a wristband or ring is used, it is easier to test for drugs without the people around you noticing. I believe most people will be displeased if they discovered that you tested every cup of drink they offered you.

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Manel Lladó Santaeularia

Manel Lladó Santaeularia3 years ago

Samuel Bello I agree with this. I think it is pretty easy to dip your finger in your drink without anyone noticing anything weird, but it would be more difficult with a pendant. Another idea that has been used is drug-detecting nail polish (1), which I think is even better because you only need to dip the tip of your finger. It can be used only on the pinky so that the not all fingers need to be painted.

References 
(1) https://www.cbsnews.com/video/nail-polish-detects-date-rape-drugs/

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Spook Louw

Spook Louw3 years ago

I have found a drug-detecting bracelet - https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/blog/eureka-lab/drug-detection-system-could-help-partygoers-protect-themselves
But it seems to be a regular drug test simply strapped to a bracelet. My idea is to design jewellery that would look fashionable and inconspicuous that would be able to test drinks for drugs. 

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