A small business in California called Origami Condoms is working on a revolutionary new prophylactic modeled after the Japanese art of paper folding which has won the approval of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for being the only design to radically change the contraceptive.
Other condom manufacturers have made continual efforts to make the existing, everyday condom more appealing to users by introducing new textures and flavors.
Origami Condoms’ design, which has condoms folded up rather than rolled up like the ones currently for sold at most stores that sell health and convenience products, acts as a loose-fitting sheath when it’s in use and is said to move with the natural movement of the body.
The unique design means both participants will experience a lot more sensation during sex according to the condom’s creator, Danny Resnic.
His company, based in Marina del Rey, has already captured the attention of sexual health proponents and major latex condom manufacturers who are interested in licensing the design, Resnic said.
Last month the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation praised the new condom company as a leading innovator for sexual health on its blog.
Origami Condoms’ design has condoms folded up rather than rolled up like the ones currently for sold at most stores that sell health and convenience products.
‘Origami Condoms provides an excellent example of a private enterprise focused on new condom design to promote consistent use by emphasizing the sexual experience,’ their blog post reads.
The foundation recently announced that it’s offering $100,000 to other innovators who are able to redesign the condom as part of a campaign for global health initiatives.
‘The latex condom was strictly protection. No one liked using it,’ Resnic told the Huffington Post.
‘We are trying to create a condom that feels great and is much closer to the real deal to encourage people to use them.’
Origami Condoms are still in clinical testing and will not be available for purchase until early 2015 at the soonest, according to Resnic.
The condom designs must first go through several phases testing before the company can apply for FDA approval, he said.
Resnic said his company has not yet set a price for their accordion-shaped condoms, that they will likely cost more than traditional rubbers.
‘Our focus is on making condom experience more pleasurable than anyone imagined possible,’ he said. ‘We almost didn’t want to call it a condom.’
