Tips & Stories
A few years ago on a trip to Singapore, I visited The Red Dot Design Museum. I was lucky enough to see an exhibit on designs of the future where a prototype of a pen that was able to detect the presence of allergens in food was on display. I became obsessed with the idea, and dreamed of a reality where this object would exist in real life, not just behind glass in a museum exhibit. The Allergy Amulet is making my dream come true!
I spoke with the founder of Allergy Amulet, Abi Barnes, a lifelong food allergy sufferer who dreamt of creating a fast and portable food allergen detection device which would allow individuals like herself to feel safer about the foods they eat. In the United States alone, food allergies cause about 200,000 emergency visits each year, and one study estimates that one in five food-allergy hospitalizations is due to accidental exposure of "hidden allergens." Here, she tells us in her own words more about Allergy Amulet, which Slate calls "a chic line of wearables-necklaces, watches, and cellphone cases-that cleverly conceal chemical-based allergen detection strips." Read more here.
