PINECREST, FLA. (WSVN) - Three South Florida high school students have designed a smart straw that can detect date rape drugs in drinks.
The three Gulliver Preparatory School students are too young to drink but aren’t too young to develop a product designed to combat rape crimes.
Victoria Roca, Susana Cappello and Carolina Baigorri came up with the idea in one of their classes at school.
The straw identifies whether the drug is in your drink. “If it is clear, then that indicates that there is no ketamine or GHB [gamma hydroxy butyrate] in your alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink,” said Susana Cappello.
If the straw strip comes out blue, it means the drink was tampered with.
Before developing the actual smart straw, the students did their homework. They learned that one in every five women is a victim of rape and that roofies, GHB and ketamine can be used to spike drinks.
The straw detects all three drugs.
Carolina Baigorri, one of the students involved, said she wanted to lower that statistic. “We decided that we really wanted to help change that,” she said. “This product could have such a big impact in the world and just using it could save so many people from really dangerous types of situations and becoming a victim.”
The girls entered their straw into the Business Plan Challenge where they took home first place.
The judges were impressed with the simplicity of the product, which may easily find a place of prominence in restaurants, nightclubs and college campuses.
“We actually did a survey at Northwestern, and we received feedback from the sororities and fraternities that 85 percent of the people would use them,” Cappello said.
The trio said they are even more encouraged to continue developing additional products.
They even got a patent for their idea before others copied it.
“Just taking the precaution, keeping it with you, at least just try,” said Victoria Roca. “It doesn’t affect you in any way, so just to feel safe. That’s our main goal: to help people feel safe.”
All three students plan to study business when they get to college.
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