Condoms make sex 10,000 times safer, at least when it comes to HIV transmission. Not too shabby. However, despite their effectiveness at preventing both STI transmission and pregnancy, as well as their availability and relatively low cost, only one in four acts of vaginal intercourse in the United States is condom-protected. But a bumper crop of innovative condoms — including one made from cow tendons — just might change that.
What’s to blame for condomless sex? The Bill Gates Foundation believes it’s the “male perspective… that condoms decrease pleasure.” (Granted, there are probably a few other reasons, including the use of alternative methods of birth control.) That’s why they offered over $1 million in grants for the development of the Next Generation Condom that “significantly preserves or enhances pleasure.” The idea is that an enjoyable condom experience will increase the likelihood that people use them.
Beef tendon condomThe eleven finalists might just prove phrases like “leftover beef tendons” and “graphene-based polymer” can be downright sexy. Fibers from bovine tendons would (theoretically) make condoms feel like a second skin, while the polymer graphene would make for a prophylactic that conducts heat — a sensation both partners could enjoy. Another design makes the condom gently tighten during intercourse, and other finalists improved condoms by making them thinner and more durable.
Thanks to the Bill Gates Foundation, we could know soon enough whether a condom that is stronger and sexier will make men more likely to wrap it up.
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