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.'"

Comments

Re:Reduced Friction?

[DigiShaman]

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.

Length isn't usually an issue (for most men) as can you roll as much as needed to the base. But as you've pointed out, girth is. The girth of a man's member can dynamically change based on arousal and any length of time. So while that "magnum" may feel right now, it can become loose later before climax has been reached. It's already an issue having to interrupt the moment to roll on a rubber, but having to choose which size works best depending on the mood already kills it.

Preventing pregnancy aside, smart phones with terahertz scanning capability (say 6 years from now) might be able to detect STDs and other blood related issues in the future. Essentially a Tricorder that's not a medical device, but just as damn near as good. So if you're clean, and she's clean, to hell with the condom. Have fun! Just be sure to scan well before the mood sets in. Personally, i've never been promiscuous and trust is always important to me (I'm married). So all that technology is a moot point as far as i'm concerned.

Creating problems to sell solutions

[Stormwatch]

Douglas Adams said this back in '95:

The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all his customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he who by peddling second-hand, second-rate technology, led them all into it in the first place.

Indeed, it still seems to be that Bill Gates' modus operandi is to create problems to sell solutions. His foundation promotes male genital mutilation (aka circumcision) as a solution to AIDS, even though real life numbers show it does not work at all. And a side effect of circumcision is that it severely reduces sexual sensation, which makes men even less inclined to use the actual solution, condoms (not to mention it increases the likelihood of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, dyspareunia, and alexithymia).

So his solution now is to make a high-tech super-thin condom. Which would not be necessary if his so-called charity didn't get men mutilated in the first place!