Sexually transmitted infections are a sensitive subject many avoid.
A trio of teenage boys in the United Kingdom say they may have designed a visible way to detect them.
Their concept, called S.T.EYE, would change color if it came into contact with an infection such as chlamydia or syphilis.
The idea comes from Muaz Nawaz, 13, Daanyaal Ali, 14, and Chirag Shah, 14.
All three attend the Isaac Newton Academy in east London.
The teenage inventors talk to Dr Christian Jessen from the British TV series Embarrassing Bodies.
The team said they came up with S.T.EYE after learning how widespread STIs are in the UK.
Shah said the prevalence of STIs “inspired us to make a condom, as it could save hundreds of thousands of lives.”
TeenTech Awards
In theory, the condom could identify an infection in the wearer or in a partner.
Ali noted that “people find it embarrassing to go to the clinic so this makes sure that their privacy is maintained,” adding that those infected would still need clinic treatment.
The design envisions antibodies embedded in the condom reacting to the virus or bacteria and triggering a color change.
The shade and the speed of the reaction would depend on the specific STI.
The boys also suggested an intermediate layer containing reactants to test for syphilis, chlamydia, herpes and genital warts.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 million people acquire an STI every day.
The National Health Service in the UK says chlamydia is the most common STI and passes easily during sex.
Their concept won the TeenTech Awards prize in the future of health category, which promotes science, engineering and technology among teenagers.
The boys received a cash prize of £1,000 ($1,568) and were invited to Buckingham Palace by the awards patron, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
The condom remains a concept, but a manufacturer has approached the team about producing it.
Nawaz said, “We really want to make this a realistic thing, but we understand that it is not the easiest thing in the world to do.”
Dr. Ward Cates, distinguished scientist and professor emeritus at fhi360, said modern molecular technology could make such a product possible.
Cates said it “would be quite sophisticated and my guess is quite costly,” and that making condoms capable of detecting multiple STIs might be prohibitively expensive.
He added that anything encouraging young people to wear condoms is welcome.
Cates said color-changing condoms could increase use because they are novel and because teens want to know their infection status.
He also said while people might not stop during sex if a condom changed color, having the condom on could still help prevent transmission.
As a public health person, Cates applauded the boys’ creativity and their effort to apply innovation to a group often overlooked.
Some people responded with praise and questions on Twitter.
Other TeenTech winners included an e-water tap for Africa, sunglasses that monitor epilepsy and a guitar with never-ending strings.