Not much has been done for condoms since they were first introduced several centuries ago, other than god-awful flavors, distracting neon colors, and uncomfortable self-warming options that put you off sex altogether.
But a team of scientists are developing a self-lubricating latex condom that becomes slippery when wet — which isn’t the case with regular condoms.
The sex-revolutionary accessory came about after Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched a competition to design a better “next generation” condom, one that will “significantly preserve or enhance pleasure” for men — which offered a $100,000 grant to the winning researchers.
The foundation estimated that only one third of men in the US use them because “condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable.”
According to the Royal Society Open Science, the self-lubricating condom is designed to provide protection and reduce the risk of transmitted infections as well as increasing the user’s overall satisfaction.
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Designed to become slippery when wet, the lubricant layer is made of “hydrophilic polymers” and unlike most condoms, it can withstand “1,000 thrusts” — which the scientists claim to be around 16 minutes of sex.
When the self-lubricating condom was put to the test against regular, shop-bought condoms layered with water-based liquid lubricant, it steamed ahead with 400 more thrusts.
Researcher Prof Mark Grinstaff, from Boston University, said: “It feels a bit slimy when you handle it dry, but in the presence of water or natural fluids it becomes really slick. You only need a little bit of fluid to activate it.”
The new condom was tested by 33 participants who had to feel three types of material (non-lubricated latex, lubricated latex, and the new, self-lubricating latex) before and after they had been placed in water.
After this, they were asked which material of condom they would prefer and 73 percent chose the self-lubricating winner.
Although the hopeful self-lubricating condom is yet to lose its official virginity, it’s likely that this could be the future of safe and enjoyable sex — for both males and females.
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