TAMPA, Fla. (WOWO) — A new wearable technology being developed by a University of South Florida graduate aims to help people detect when their drinks may have been tampered with by using a small sensor built into jewelry.

The technology, being developed by startup Elora Armor, is designed to identify certain drugs commonly associated with drink spiking and alert users through a connected smartphone application.

According to Fox News, USF graduate student and former beach volleyball player Addison Bounds, 22, co-founded the company with Kira Robichaud, who has a science background and is helping lead a team developing the device.

The company plans to produce wearable products including bracelets, pendants, keychains and potentially phone cases that contain sensors capable of testing a small sample of a drink.

The device is designed to detect benzodiazepines, a class of drugs that have been linked to cases of drink tampering. Users would place a small drop of liquid from their drink onto the sensor surface, allowing the device to analyze the sample.

“You just drop – whatever’s on your finger is plenty – onto the surface of the product,” Bounds told Fox 13 Tampa Bay.

If the sensor identifies a potentially dangerous substance, the technology would send an alert to the user’s phone through the company’s app.

“You’ll receive a notification to your phone telling you if that drink is safe to consume or not, and if your drink has been spiked, your live location is immediately sent to your safety network that you’ve connected to the app,” Bounds said.

The company says the goal is to combine personal safety technology with an everyday accessory, giving users a discreet way to check their drinks in social settings.

Bounds said the idea was influenced by hearing about the experiences of people affected by drink spiking. She told Fox News that a friend was drugged while in high school, which helped motivate her interest in creating a prevention tool.

The company is still developing and refining the technology, and details about availability, pricing and regulatory review have not been announced.

Experts note that drink-spiking prevention remains a challenge because incidents can be difficult to detect, and symptoms may vary depending on the substance involved, the amount consumed and the person’s health factors.

Safety advocates continue to recommend traditional precautions, including keeping drinks within sight, avoiding accepting drinks from strangers, staying with trusted friends and seeking help if someone begins feeling unusually impaired.

Elora Armor’s creators say the wearable technology is intended to provide an additional layer of protection by helping users identify possible tampering quickly and alert people they trust when they may be at risk.