Student invents napkin capable of detecting common date rape drugs

At this stage, we all know the dangers of leaving our drinks unattended on a night out, and while we're generally pretty good at keeping tabs on our G&Ts, we have been known to take our eye off the ball.

An unattended drink can provide the perfect opportunity for someone to engage in a 'drug-facilitated crime', leaving the victim at risk of attack or sexual assault – a scenario that has become all to common over the past decade or so.

However, one college student reckons she may have figured out a way to prevent these situations from occurring in the future.

Danya Sherman, a third-year student at George Washington University in DC, felt compelled to find a solution after her friend was drugged and assaulted while studying abroad in Spain.

After hearing the horrific tale, Danya created the KnoNap – a napkin capable of testing for 26 of the 40 most commonly used date rape drugs including Rohypnol, Xanax, Valium.

Speaking to The Independent, she explained: “It was the first time I actually became aware of the issue and it became very personal.”

So, how does it work?

If a person suspects that their drink has been tampered with, they would simply drop a small sample onto one of the napkins four corners.

Should the KnoNap detect the presence of an illicit substance, the area beside the test sample will display a clear change in colour.

Although the product is still in the early-stages, it's understood that Sherman and KnoNap are now working with manufacturers, with plans for a Kickstarter campaign starting in Spring.

Speaking about her goals for the invention, Danya said: “What I hope my company is able to push for is social change, greater awareness of the issue, but at the end of the day, empower individuals to be safer so that no one else has to say ‘me too.’”