An 18-year-old man has invented a bra designed to detect signs of breast cancer, an invention he says could save the lives of millions of people.

The "auto exploration bra", developed by Julian Rios Cantu, contains 200 sensors that spot early signs of cancer.

He was inspired to invent it after his mother's breast cancer resulted in a double mastectomy after years battling the disease.

View more!

The bra only has to be worn for one hour a week, so it doesn't interfere with daily life. After its sensors map the surface of the breast as well as texture, colour and temperature, it relays the data to a computer or smartphone app via Bluetooth, where it is processed by a neural network.

Heat sensors are able to detect blood flow, which often suggests that blood is feeding cancer cells.

Over 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer a year in the UK, and one in eight will develop it at some point in their lifetime. Detecting it early is crucial but often relies on self-examination.

View more!

In Mexico, getting a mammogram is often a difficult and lengthy experience, with only 9.5 mammography machines per million people, according to the OECD.

Rios Cantu's company, Higia Technologies, has now won the top prize at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, which carries a $20,000 (£15,500) prize.

The company says it is "devoted to boosting women's quality of life by attaining a professionalisation of the self exploration method for the early and effective detection of breast cancer".