A condom is a utilitarian object familiar to everyone. We don’t expect miracles from it, but there are always alternatives. Here are several unusual condom concepts.
Condom made from grass fiber
Researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered a way to extract nanofibers from the Australian spinifex grass to produce condoms that are thinner and stronger than standard latex. They were assisted by the Indigenous Queensland community of Indjalandji-Dhidhanu, which has long used spinifex as an adhesive for spear tips.
Fitness tracker for the penis
I.Con, described as a fitness tracker for the penis, is a smart condom ring produced by British Condoms. This wearable tech device measures penis girth, calculates thrusting motion and duration of intercourse, and can even detect signs of sexually transmitted infections. Users can even choose to publicly share their data online if they wish.
Fertility-suppressing condom
After being diagnosed with a cervical cancer precursor—meaning she could not take female contraceptive pills—German design graduate Rebecca Weiss developed Coso, a male contraceptive device that uses ultrasound waves to temporarily halt sperm regeneration. The James Dyson Award-winning gadget requires users to fill it with water, turn it on, and immerse their testicles in it. Contraceptive effectiveness begins two weeks after first use, and the effect is reversible, with fertility expected to return within six months after discontinuation.
The perfect condom shape
Swedish adult toy company Lelo has developed a condom with hexagonal cells, designed to offer better structural integrity and additional grip compared to conventional condoms, despite still being made from latex. «There’s a reason honeycombs have this shape and why snake scales move the way they do,» said Philip Sedic, founder of Lelo. «It’s the ideal form for anything that needs to be both lightweight and incredibly strong.»
Designer condom
These condom packages, designed by Taiwanese designer Guang-Hao Pan, are based on phallic-shaped fruits and vegetables indicating their girth. The idea is that users can hold the cylindrical tubes and choose the right size—whether zucchini, turnip, banana, carrot, or cucumber.
Protection against bacteria
British schoolboys Daanyaal Ali, Muaz Navaz, and Chirag Shah won the TeenTech Awards 2015 prize for their STEYE concept, developing condoms that change color when detecting sexually transmitted diseases. The proposed condom design includes chemical indicators that react to bacteria causing infections such as chlamydia and syphilis, changing color to warn of potential risk.
Female condom
Bearina is a concept for an intrauterine device (IUD) that works using a one-cent coin. In conventional copper IUDs like the coil, metal ions dissolving from the device act as a spermicide, so Bearina provides a holder for a coin attached with a nylon thread. Created by Ronen Kadushin, he has made the design open-source, so anyone can download the production files and theoretically manufacture the IUD at a lower cost than standard models.
Opening a condom with one hand
British designer Ben Paw created a condom wrapper for people with disabilities that can be opened with a simple snap of the finger, breaking both the outer foil layer and the thin plastic inner lining. «I think it’s just common sense—why should a condom be a barrier and an obstacle, rather than an enhancement of the moment?» said Paw.
