Cocktail drinks. Photo: wiki commons.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel have created a straw that can detect commonly used date rape drugs inside your beverage.

“The device is extremely easy to use,” said Frenando Patolsky, one of the two leading researchers involved in the project. “It does not require any time from the person to detect the drug, the device alone will do that. It will detect the presence of the drug if it is in the drink.”

Ketamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) are two drugs commonly used in date rape incidents, but until now they have been undetectable inside a drink.  The new device is able to determine if drinks are contaminated with these two chemicals, and according to the researchers who developed the technology, the hope is to add Rohypnol (ruffies) – another commonly used date rape drug – to the list of chemicals the device can detect.

“It samples a very small volume of the drink and mixes it with a testing solution,” Patolsky explained to the Daily Mail. “This causes a chemical reaction that makes the solution cloudy or colored, depending on the drug.”

Patolsky, who has three daughters of his own, believes the device can help prevent sexual attacks.

“Preventing it is the best thing to do. I hope it will be sold in bars, in pharmacies.”