New condom is said to be quicker and easier to put on
A new invention out of South Africa might allow people to practice safe sex without killing the mood after fumbling with a condom, only to find their partners fast asleep after an awkward struggle.
Willem van Rensburg, a South African inventor, has just the product for this kind of embarrassing situation. It is called Pronto, and it is a condom that can be applied in eight seconds — and that’s if you’re taking it slow and easy.
There’s not much to Pronto. The condom’s wrapper splits into two parts and acts as holders for the condom. As the condom is applied, it automatically unrolls itself inside of the holders. Once fully applied, a quick flick of the wrists releases the packaging from the condom.
Janine Weeks, a senior international affairs major, said traditional condoms can be clumsy compared with the apparent ease of the Pronto application.
“When you have to interrupt and fumble around (with a condom), it can ruin the moment,” she said.
Van Rensburg recognized that this was a problem and sought to find a solution.
“It always puzzled me that the process of applying a condom could be so cumbersome — there had to be a better way,” van Rensburg said on Pronto’s Web site.
Not everyone has trouble gloving their love, though. Adam Smith, a senior Japanese major, said he didn’t see the condom application process as overly difficult. He added, though, that he could see instances where Pronto could be useful.
“I can see how it would be useful for people who are nervous or bashful,” he said.
According to Pronto’s Web site, van Rensburg conceived the idea in 2001 and received funding from Metropolitan Life Ltd., who thought the idea supported its desire to prevent sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS.
Smith said he agreed that Pronto condoms seemed like a good way to combat STDs because of their apparent ease.
Pronto condoms came into marketable existence in 2006 and currently come in three types: regular, thin and ribbed. Currently, Pronto condoms are only available in South Africa, but according to the Web site, Pronto intends to allow the licensing of the Pronto technology to other condom manufacturers to distribute them in the global market.
For more information on Pronto condoms, visit the Web site. There you can watch videos of Pronto condoms in action. Don’t worry; there are no human demonstrations, only carrots and cylinders.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Jon Swihart at Jonathan.swihart@thecampuspress.com.
