Carnegie Mellon Designer Sneha Rao Develops Edible Lollipop Pregnancy Test for Blind Women
Tact, an innovative edible lollipop created by Sneha Rao, a 27-year-old master’s student at Carnegie Mellon University, enables blind and low-vision women to independently determine pregnancy. Under the mentorship of Wayne Chung, this project commenced in January, inspired by a 2020 article in the Wall Street Journal and a 2024 Newsweek feature on Joanne Hewitson. Rao opted against a universal reader due to worries about data privacy and electronic waste, instead developing an edible device that detects hCG in saliva with a 96% accuracy rate. She selected lollipops for their unique properties and designed them to convey pregnancy status through texture. While Stephanie Enyart from the American Foundation for the Blind commended the innovation, she expressed concerns regarding the timing of saliva tests. Rao intends to pursue clinical trials and regulatory preparations.
Key facts
- Sneha Rao is a 27-year-old master's student in design for interactions at Carnegie Mellon University
- Tact is an edible lollipop that detects hCG in saliva and signals pregnancy through raised bumps felt by the tongue
- Development began in January under Carnegie Mellon biomedical engineering expert Wayne Chung
- Inspiration came from a 2020 Wall Street Journal article quoting Eleanor Southwood and a Newsweek article about Joanne Hewitson, whose TikTok went viral in 2024
- Rao rejected a tech-based universal reader because it would create a data trail and e-waste
- Gelatin was chosen for its capillary-wicking properties, dissolvability, food safety, availability and low cost
- Stephanie Enyart of the American Foundation for the Blind praised Tact but questioned saliva test reliability against 7-to-10-day blood and 12-to-14-day urine timelines
- U.S. Census Bureau data shows nearly nine million Americans have a vision disability, including 4.8 million women and girls
- In 1967, Margaret Crane created the first home pregnancy test prototype, the Predictor, for Organon, now at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
- Rao's next steps are clinical testing, regulatory groundwork and licensing or partnering with a diagnostics manufacturer
Entities
Artists
- Sneha Rao
- Eleanor Southwood
- Joanne Hewitson
- Stephanie Enyart
- Margaret Crane
- Wayne Chung
- Ramsha Waseem
Institutions
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Wall Street Journal
- Royal National Institute of Blind People
- Newsweek
- TikTok
- American Foundation for the Blind
- Organon
- Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
- U.S. Census Bureau
- National Institutes of Health
- RADx Tech
- BBC Travel
- Dwell
- Atlas Obscura
Locations
- United States
- Wisconsin