Inventive ways to tell if your drink has been spiked

Unfortunately drink spiking happens, and however much you watch or cover your drink, the danger can come from anywhere. That’s why it’s important to have access to products which allow you to test your drink as soon as you suspect something fishy occurred. Education about rape and rape culture is on the rise, and with it has come some interesting inventions that aren’t as obvious as pulling a huge test device from your bag.

Undercover Colours

This has been the subject of a lot of media attention lately due to it’s originality. The idea is simple – a nail polish that detects date rape drugs in alcohol. The potential victim only needs to stir the sketchy looking drink with their finger and the polish will change colour if a drug is detected. This may mean you have to walk around with one discoloured finger, but that’s a price worth paying.

DrinkSavvy

Made possible through crowdfunding website IndieGoGo, DrinkSavvy plans to create a variety of ‘drinkware’ such as straws, glasses and cups, that continously monitor drinks for drugs used to facilitate rape and assault. The ultimate goal is to convince clubs and bars to adopt the products.

Drinksafe Coasters

Similar to DrinkSavvy, drinksafe have focused on the creation of products that you may be using naturally whilst drinking. Each coaster contains two tests for both GHB and Ketamine, and the user can simply dip their finger into their drink and rub it onto the coaster to test it. While you might not carry a coaster around with you in a club, this could potentially help at house parties and could easily be adopted in bars. Unlike the other products mentioned, they are available immediately.

Pd.id

Expecting to ship in 2015, pd.id takes a more traditional approach. The small battery powered device can be kept in a bag or pocket and used multiple times. It can also be paired with a smartphone to search and extensive database of drink profiles, texting or calling you if the results are positive. Databases will be constantly updated to include new drugs, so that it isn’t limited to small range of common ones. The campaign desperately needs funding to reach the $50,000 goal.