Condoms; they’re a vital part of our increasingly sexually active world. Not only do they prevent costly, stressful, and inopportune pregnancies, they also protect from a whole manner of STIs and STDs that can be infertility-causing, embarrassing, and irritating at best; life-changing and deadly at worst.
With the importance of our rubber friends now at the forefront of our minds, it’s plain to see why the future of the condom holds significance for us all in the coming years. Despite their crucial roles and their life-saving ways, condoms haven’t undergone much change for nearly a whole century. The little change we have seen in condoms, in fact, is more to do with sex-enhancing nobbles, bobbles and ridges than safety and ease-of-use.
In 2013 a call-to-arms rolled out across the rolling hills of the internet when a ‘Grand Challenge’ was posted to improve on the world’s favorite contraceptive device. While some of the awards granted were for bizarre and outlandish ideas, some of them crossed the fine line from craziness over to the ingenious. Let’s take a look at some of the more feasible ideas. Ideas that could well be the future of the condom.
The Condom that gets Tighter During Intercourse
I’m really not sure about this one but surely they have thought out the implications before pitching this. For me, it conjures up visions of men, the world over, rolling around on the bedroom floor, clutching their members with cries of “OH PLEASE, NO. MAKE IT STOP”. Imagine having to call the fire department in on this one. It’s a hard ‘NO’ from me.
British researcher, Benjamin Strutt, has been toying with anisotropic composites. To you and I, these are materials that become stronger as more force is applied to them. The thinking behind this is that they will do a better job of retaining bodily liquids while increasing their grip as things get heated. It is also thought that this will help increase sensation but I’ll still be avoiding this particular invention should it ever come to light.
The Super Condom
I do apologize the strange images that those three words may conjure up but it’s not what you think. Way back in 2004, two science dudes (probably not their proper title) isolated graphene particles. This discovery led on to them both winning the Nobel Peace Prize for their extraordinary efforts.
Fast forward nearly two decades and science is becoming more and more astonishing by the day. Indian scientists are looking to use this breakthrough to bring it into the bedroom. Graphene condoms, if successful, will provide a far stronger condom with an improved heat transfer, making for a more sensual experience.
Rapid-on with the Rapidom
A lot of condom mishaps, come from an incorrect application, so scientists around the world have been trying to work out how to put an end to the “complicated” process of popping on a condom. Cue Willem van Rensburg, the designer was working for South African company, Kimbranox when he developed his design for Rapidom. Rapidom is a condom packages allowing for the easy, fool-proof donning of a condom; genius!
Summary
After reading the above, it’s clear to see that scientists are seriously looking in to the future of the condom. With an abundance of technological resources at our fingertips, it’s only a matter of time before we some profound differences in the condoms that we all know and love. It’s only a matter of time before we have a condom that grabs your smokes and makes some coffee for you both after the deed.
What would you change were you to be given the choice? Which of the above would you like to see in the future? Feel free to drop a comment below.