Mammograms are a woman’s worst nightmare. The last thing any woman wants to be told is that they have breast cancer. Most women dislike going to the doctor or hospital to have the test taken. So what if you could wear a bra instead that would give similar results? In Mexico, an 18-year-old man named Julian Rios Cantu and three friends have come up with their own design of such a bra while competing against other entrepreneurs in a competition. Higia Technologies, Julian Rios Cantu’s company, won the $20,000, along with a tweet from the Mexican president congratulating Julian on his achievements.
This bra is called the Eva bra.
What inspired Julian Rios Cantu?
Julian Rios Cantu hopes that this bra is the first step in creating some type of warning device for women. The idea came from Cantu’s mother being diagnosed with breast cancer and almost dying when he was 13 years old. The doctors at first told Julian Rios Cantu’s mother that the lumps were not malignant at the time, but they were wrong. She had to have both of her breasts removed six months later. Julian Rios Cantu gathered a couple of friends and came up with an idea to start their own invention to help prevent breast cancer. Cantu and his friends finally have the funds needed to start running tests to see just how well this warning device is going to work for everyone, thanks to winning the entrepreneur competition.
There was a patent filed, with the hope that this bra will soon be available to the public.
How does it work?
Due to skin temperatures changing because of the increase of blood flow caused by cancerous tumors, this bra holds sensors inside it which are able to detect, log, and inform the user of any alarming information. Julian Rios Cantu believes if the bra is worn daily for about an hour and a half, it would be able to get an accurate reading and would be able to inform the person of any changes.
There is no evidence yet that this bra will work, and the increase in blood flow does not always mean that someone has cancer. Testing still must be completed in order to find out if this bra can detect any early stages of breast cancer, but it is a great start in terms of alternative breast cancer detection methods.
Until this bra is available, women need to remember to routinely do self-checks and if needed, the necessary mammograms. If you find any lumps, have any chest pain, or leakage that is not from breast milk, inform your doctor right away and have that looked at.
