US: College student invents napkin to detect if drink has been tampered with

The trauma of being spiked and sexually assaulted two years ago has led one enterprising student to come up with a solution to prevent others like her from falling victim to the same crime.

The student, Danyar Sherman from the George Washington University (GWU), is now the celebrated inventor of KnoNap, a napkin able to detect most substances commonly used as date rape drugs.

https://twitter.com/WTOP/status/956129958199418880

KnoNap, or “The Napkin that knows”, tests for a cache of drugs known as benzos. It is able to detect at least 26 of the most commonly used drugs, however it could identify up to 40.

According to Sherman, her experience with sexual assault inspired her to undertake a women’s entrepreneurial leadership course at GWU.

She claimed she wanted to provide women like her with a solution so fewer women would have to experience what she did.

https://youtu.be/MQtP9sX7cWo

The napkin needs just a small drop of liquid from the drink to work. It will change in color if the drink has been spiked.

“All the individual has to do is take a drop of their drink, place it on the white area of the napkin, that’ll be denoted as the loading area, and it’ll turn to a reddish color,” Sherman said.

FIGHTING AGAINST RAPE DRUGS: A napkin that knows what you’re drinking before you take a sip. It can prevent a date rape. Wait to you hear who created it and why.. The story on @ABC7News at noon. @Real_KnoNap pic.twitter.com/nsiCQPtt3g

— John Gonzalez (@John7News) January 26, 2018

The KnoNap is discreet. It looks exactly like a standard napkin you would find in any student bar.

With more women speaking out all over the world about sexual harassment and assault as a part of the #MeToo movement, Sherman hopes her KnoNap will help decrease the number of women put in dangerous or uncomfortable situations.

Sherman has started work with a company with hopes to have the napkins on sale by the end of the year.

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