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This concert wristband tests if your drink has been spiked

The Sip Safe is possibly the most important wristband you'll wear at a gig.

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Claire Reilly
2 min read
sip-safe-wristband

The Sip Safe wristband lets you dab on a drop of your drink to test if it's been spiked.

Sip Safe

You learn the rules early when you go to gigs, festivals and bars: Always keep an eye on your drink. Watch out for strangers. Be careful who you leave your glass with.

But now an Australian invention could change that (and put less onus on young people -- especially women -- to completely change the way they act when they're out).

The Sip Safe is a wristband designed for concerts and festivals that lets you test for drugs in your drink. Dab a drop of your drink onto the two spots on the band, wait two minutes till the liquid dries, and if the spots turn darker blue, that's a sign that your drink could have been spiked.

It's not the first invention designed to make drink safety easy -- we've seen drug-testing drinkware, sensors that look like swizzle sticks and even nail polish that tests for date-rape drugs. 

It's the brainchild of Australian creative agency Y&R ANZ and was launched in conjunction with Monash University residential colleges in Melbourne, Australia.

The wristband was tested in 2017 at Schoolies (that's the decidedly Australian-sounding version of Spring Break in Aussie colleges) and is now available to order online. It's also going to be rolled out across a number of youth events in Australia this year.

"Launching Sip Safe with Monash University is an incredibly proud moment for us," said Y&R executive creative director Jake Barrow. "It represents a milestone in the effective harm reduction and education of drink spiking. We hope the initiative goes on to make a difference throughout the broader community."

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