Last week, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced the winners of a contest to create a new condom that men would actually use. The idea behind the next generation of condom is founded in saving lives and providing greater protection. The caveat being: create a condom that is easy to use and provides greater sensation.
Over 800 hundred proposals were submitted. Among them, 11 were awarded $100,000 to develop their ideas. Here are the five most interesting concepts:
Cling Wrap Condoms
Ron Frezieres wants to develop a condom made of polyethylene, which is a material "that wraps and clings to surfaces rather than squeezes." Basically, it would cling to the penis like Saran Wrap.
Cow Tendon Condoms
The Ultra-Sensitive Reconstituted Collagen Condom would be made from the collagen fibers from bovine tendons and mimic the feeling of skin.
"They're unbelievably strong," said Mark McGlothlin, the proposal's chief investigator tells The New York Times. "I could yank all day and not break this thing."
Foreskin-Like Condoms
Similar to the cow tendons proposal, Patrick Kiser wants to engineer a biologically inspired condom that mimics the properties of foreskin and other mucosal tissues.
One-step Condom Applicator
One proposal argues the biggest problem with condoms is the application. The Rapidom is a proposed applicator "an easy, fail-safe design that is applied with one motion, thereby minimizing interruption."
Shape Memory Condoms
Another concept is to create a "high-strength, ultra-thin, shape-memory material" for the production of condoms. The Ultrathin Adaptable Condoms for Enhanced Sensitivity would be a "one-size-fits-all" concept that conforms to the shape and size of the user's penis.
Any condom idea that enhances sensitivity while increasing use and protection is welcome. It'll just be curious how many men will want to use a bovine condom. (Check out the remaining proposals here.)
