Using Nanotechnology To Build Thinner, Stronger Condoms

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Discovery Magazine reports that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has granted $100,000 to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) to develop a nanoparticle coating for condoms that will make them more comfortable and stronger while simultaneously keeping them thin to preserve – and increase – sensation in order to make them more appealing to use. According to the Gates Foundation, in the time that condoms have been in use, not much has changed: '[Condoms] have undergone very little technological improvement in the past 50 years. The primary improvement has been the use of latex as the primary material and quality-control measures, which allow for quality testing of each individual condom. Material science and our understanding of neurobiology has undergone revolutionary transformation in the last decade, yet that knowledge has not been applied to improve the product attributes of one of the most ubiquitous and potentially underutilized products on earth.' The nanotechnology that the Boston doctors intend to use for their improved condoms will be superhydrophillic nanoparticles that coat the condom and trap water to make them more resilient and easier to use. 'We believe that by altering the mechanical forces experienced by the condom, we may ultimately be able to make a thinner condom which reduces friction, thereby reducing discomfort associated with friction increases pleasure, thereby increasing condom use and decreases rates of unwanted pregnancy and infection transmission.'"

Reduced Friction?

[amiga3D]

Isn't friction what generates sensation? That's part of the problem with condoms now, no feeling.

Re:Reduced Friction?

[Antipater]

Condoms squeeze the guy, sometimes (depending on girth) causing complete loss of sensation (much like cutting off the blood from you foot or arm).

This is important. I hope, while they're redesigning the materials, they also do something to combat the "one size fits all" myth of modern condoms. Many people's aversion to condoms are a result of a size mismatch. Penises come in many different sizes, not just "regular" and "magnum", so what's comfortable for one man may not be for another. A condom that's too tight can cut off all sensation, while a condom that's too loose can slip or tear. Nobody advertises one-size-fits-all running shoes, but one-size-fits-all condoms are our only option. I hope Mr. Gates works to fix that as well.

Re:Reduced Friction?

[barlevg]

this, I think, is more of a societal issue: not many men are going to feel comfortable going to the convenience store and checking out with a box of "size smalls." Shopping on the internet is an option, I guess, but do you really want Amazon knowing your penis size? I can just imagine the targeted advertisements on BOTH ends of the spectrum.