Next Generation Condom Funded By Bill Gates

Researchers at the University of Wollongong are working on a "next generation" substitute for latex condoms using a hydrogel-based material designed to "act, feel and look" more like real skin.



Hydrogels are made up water and held together by a network of polymers. It is softer than latex, can be stretched and is self-lubricated. Their goal is to develop a strong, safe and more pleasurable condom that will make men "want to wear one" rather than "having" to use it.



"The funding will help us find the right material appropriate for the condom," said biomedical engineer research fellow Robert Gorkin, who is leading the project.



Bill Gates talked about the condom project during an ask-me-anything session on Reddit last February. While the work is serious, helping to end the spread of AIDS, like everyone else, he couldn't resist cracking a joke about it, saying:

"This is a sensitive topic. The idea was that men don't like the current design so perhaps something they would be more open to would allow for less HIV transmission. We still haven't gotten the results."

The researchers call this new material a "tough hydro-gel" which they say can "act, feel and look more like real skin."



A hydrogen-based material feels soft but can also be strong, keeping it from breaking, as latex condoms are prone to do.



If Bill Gates and his foundation like it, it could receive a follow-on grant of up to $1 million.



Here's the full video.