In 1839, Charles Goodyear, an American chemist, invented the rubber vulcanization process, which converts natural rubber into durable materials. In 1855, the first rubber condoms were produced, and they eventually lead to the creation of Latex (rubber suspended in water) in 1920. Although men have been using protection for centuries, advertising prophylactics was banned in the United States until 1979.
Fast forward to 2016.
LELO, a Swedish intimacy company, announced the release of their HEX condoms, which represent the first significant design changes in history. It took the company more than seven years to develop their product and say the revitalization was primarily structural. The founder of LELO Filip Sedec told Mashable, “The challenge was to make something radically different with a material already approved for condom use. We did this because people need to be having great, safe sex today, not ten years from now.”
Sedec added, “There’s a reason why honeycombs are the shape they are, and why snake scales move the way they do. It’s because hexagons are strong, symmetrical, and tessellate perfectly. They’re one of nature’s go-to shapes for anything needing to be at once lightweight, and incredibly strong. That’s why the structure of Graphene — the thinnest, strongest material we know of today is … you guessed it, hexagonal.”
The redesign is a historical moment and symbolizes a fresh start at a time when many men don’t use protection. You can learn more about this revolutionary product on Mashable.