[Click here to view the video in this article]
A year ago, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation held an open call for applicants to come up with ‘next generation condoms’ aimed at encouraging regular condom use in the name of global health.
Fast forward to 2014, and a team of researchers at Australia’s University of Wollongong have been offered funding to develop the next-level contraceptives.
Instead of latex, the new-fangled condoms will be made of “tough hydrogel”, a skin-like material that can “act, feel and look” like human skin. This means they can “significantly enhance pleasure” during sex, unlike existing condoms that men claim decrease their enjoyment.
Hydrogels are made up of water that is connected by polymers, making them softer than latex and naturally wet. They are self-lubricated, can be stretched and are biodegradable, which allows them to be disposed of in an eco-friendly way.
The research team is led by biomedical engineer Dr. Robert Gorkin, and includes biology, engineering and materials science experts who will test the material to ensure it is adequate enough to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
They are one out of 11 groups who are developing condoms to promote safe sex in less-developed countries in Southeast Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa, where AIDs and other diseases still run rampant.
Watch the video below and read an informative article about hydrogels to find out more about UOW’s research.
What do you think of this ultra-thin condom—would you use it?
[via PSFK and The Independent, video via YouTube, image via UOW]
A year ago, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation held an open call for applicants to come up with ‘next generation condoms’ aimed at encouraging regular condom use in the name of global health.
Fast forward to 2014, and a team of researchers at Australia’s University of Wollongong have been offered funding to develop the next-level contraceptives.
Instead of latex, the new-fangled condoms will be made of “tough hydrogel”, a skin-like material that can “act, feel and look” like human skin. This means they can “significantly enhance pleasure” during sex, unlike existing condoms that men claim decrease their enjoyment.
Hydrogels are made up of water that is connected by polymers, making them softer than latex and naturally wet. They are self-lubricated, can be stretched and are biodegradable, which allows them to be disposed of in an eco-friendly way.
The research team is led by biomedical engineer Dr. Robert Gorkin, and includes biology, engineering and materials science experts who will test the material to ensure it is adequate enough to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
They are one out of 11 groups who are developing condoms to promote safe sex in less-developed countries in Southeast Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa, where AIDs and other diseases still run rampant.
Watch the video below and read an informative article about hydrogels to find out more about UOW’s research.
What do you think of this ultra-thin condom—would you use it?
[via PSFK and The Independent, video via YouTube, image via UOW]