Abraham Joy, PhD, an assistant professor at Akron (Ohio) University, and his research team received $200,000 from Ohio's Third Frontier Commission to fund research into a material that can detect opioid residue, according to News 5 Cleveland.
The researchers created a polymer-based fiber mat that changes color from dark blue to white in the presence of synthetic opioids.
Dr. Joy said he hopes to use the material in latex gloves that can change color to alert first responders if they've come into contact with dangerous drugs.
"To have something that would, as soon as you touched it … show that there was an opioid, you could really protect yourself, secure the scene and work from there," University of Akron Detective Angela Paonessa told News 5 Cleveland.
The material cannot tell a first responder exactly what the substance is, but will alert them to the presence of a controlled substance.
"It's just a quick answer because that does not exist right now," Dr. Joy told News 5 Cleveland.
He said the gloves could hit the market within the next five years.