Bracelet That Protects Women From Sexual Assaults

It was estimated that one in three adult women across the EU have experienced sexual or physical assault, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. This includes what is known as drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA).

Faced with these alarming statistics, a team of chemists from Portugal and Spain, led by Carlos Lodeiro Espiño of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, has presented a prototype of a paper bracelet equipped with a chemical sensor.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary festival wristband. In reality, it is a microscopic laboratory of its own, one that can detect the presence of the date rape drug Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, otherwise known as GHB, as well as other intoxicating substances, within a matter of seconds.

The invention, which could hit European festivals and clubs as early as this year, has the potential to significantly reduce the number of sexual assaults.

The lightweight and biodegradable bracelet conceals two miniature colourimetric sensors, one of which reacts to the presence of GHB.

Simply wet a section of the band with a drop of drink. If it turns green, that indicates the presence of an unwanted substance.

The entire chemical reaction takes a few seconds and the result is visible to the naked eye.

"It's a product designed as a personal shield. It can work for up to five days, repeatedly testing different drinks," explains Professor Carlos Lodeiro Espiño, who led the research into the bracelet.

GHB is colourless, odourless and metabolises quickly in the body. Just a few hours after ingestion, it can be virtually undetectable in standard tests.

Victims often lose consciousness or memory of events, making subsequent investigation difficult.

In Europe, up to a third of sexual assaults involving chemical agents take place precisely after the administration of GHB or its derivatives.

The project is a collaboration between researchers from Portugal and the University of Valencia in Spain. The research into the sensors took several months, building on 20 years of experience in optical detection methods.