They say that necessity is the mother of invention, but for one Mexican teen it seemed that near tragedy is what birthed his invention. 18 year old Julian Rios Cantu has designed a prototype of a bra that he hopes can help detect breast cancer earlier. Cantu's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 13 years old. Her disease spread quickly and while she survived, she lost both breasts and had an incredibly difficult time overcoming the disease. The bra Julian has designed has tactile sensors that monitor blood flow, temperature and other vascular changes in breast tissue. Often, when tumors are growing, there is an increase is blood supply and blood vessels to the area.
The device can be worn for an hour a week, while the wearer is in one position. The sensors work with a mobile app that tracks any changes. The design has won an award this year's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards and while it's only a prototype and has not been tested, the idea of sensors that can monitor breast health non-invasively is something that's getting a lot of attention. Cantu has named the device "Eva" after his mother.
