Written By: Ivey Ingalls

Four undergraduate students, studying science and engineering at North Carolina State University are putting their degrees to work early by attempting to produce a nail polish that will expose the company of GHB, xanax or rohypnol by changing color in their presence.

Any individual wearing this polish will be able to ensure safety by simply dipping a finger into their beverage and giving it a light stir.

These four innovative students have coined the term “Undercover Colors” and are promoting their project as “The first fashion company empowering women to prevent sexual assault.”

The Undercover color Facebook page comments that, “Our goal is to invent technologies that empower women to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime.”

So far their product has won the Lulu eGames competition at NC University and is currently raising money to continue developing the polish.

This isn’t the first attempt to sway possible culprits away from the crime, however. Drinksafe Technologies have handed out millions upon millions of coasters that also change their color if a bead of a spiked beverage falls upon it. However during a study of the effectiveness of the coasters a problem arose that people thought they could test for rohypnol, when in fact only claim to test for GHB and ketamine; Along with the test results often taking far too long.

There is quite an excitement for the release of this product, on both sides. Not everyone is as enthusiastic about the concept of date-rape-detecting products as one might think.

Rebecca Nagle, a co-director of an activist group called FORCE: upsetting rape culture says, “I really wish that people were funneling all of this ingenuity and funding and interest into new ways to stop people from perpetrating violence, as opposed to trying to personally avoid it so that the predator in the bar rapes someone else.”

It’s important to realize that 73 percent of rapes are perpetrated by a non-stranger, and 38 percent are friends. So though this product could save lives and is on “secret spy weapon level cool” it is not a failsafe and as Nagle points out may be a step in the wrong direction.

Though we may never be able to completely end rape for the human race, we can continue to develop ways to try and prevent it. Remember to trust your instincts, be safe and look out for one another. It’s a big world.

To learn more about this product please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/undercovercolors?ref=br_tf