A University of South Florida graduate student has co-founded a company developing jewelry with integrated sensors designed to detect if a drink has been tampered with. Elora Armor, a brand co-founded by 22-year-old former USF beach volleyball player Addison Bounds and friend Kira Robichaud, aims to create bracelets, pendants, and keychains that can warn wearers of the presence of drugs like benzodiazepines.
According to Bounds, the jewelry works by having a small amount of liquid placed on an electromagnetic sensor. The sensor then analyzes the liquid, and if it detects a common drink-spiking substance, it sends an alert to a connected smartphone app. The app can also be configured to immediately send the wearer's live location to a pre-selected safety network.
Bounds stated that the inspiration for Elora Armor came from a personal experience where a friend was drugged in high school and subsequently assaulted. She expressed a desire to create a proactive safety measure, hoping to prevent drink spiking incidents before they occur.
The company is reportedly aiming for a launch of the bracelets in January 2028, in anticipation of the L.A. Olympics. "We want to stop drink spiking from happening in the first place," Bounds said.
While comprehensive statistics on drink spiking in the United States are limited due to the difficulty in tracking such incidents, a 2017 study involving over 6,000 college students at three universities indicated that 7.8% of participants reported being drugged without their knowledge or consent. The study found this rate to be around 10% among female students and 4% among male students.
Experts note that common drink-spiking drugs are often difficult to detect and can have exacerbated effects when mixed with alcohol. Such incidents frequently occur in busy social environments, further complicating detection. The Center for Violence Prevention and Self Defense Training (CVPSD) advises various preventative strategies, including never leaving drinks unattended, only accepting beverages from trusted individuals, utilizing drink covers, avoiding shared containers, staying with friends, and remaining aware of one's surroundings.
CVPSD also cautions individuals to watch for signs of a drugged drink, which can include rapid or unexpected intoxication, sudden changes in behavior, memory lapses, hallucinations, paranoia, and alterations in a drink's appearance or taste. Physical symptoms may manifest as loss of balance, blurred vision, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing.