Condoms give you wings!

2002-09-03 10:21

Cape Town - Tired of groping around in the dark in the heat of the moment?

Well, safe sex is set to be more streamlined in future, thanks to a cheap, winged condom applicator designed by two Capetonians.

Instead of the usual 30 to 40 seconds it takes to fit a condom the fail-safe applicator delivers in a record three seconds.

The applicator, marked for distribution by next year, received a designers award from the South African Bureau of Standards over the weekend.

Willem van Rensburg who patented the design says his wife would never forgive him if he discloses exactly how the idea was born.

"Struggling in the dark with the packaging has a tendency to dampen a man's ardour - likely to deal a fatal blow to the ego. Many guys then prefer to take chances - with the likelihood of signing a kind of death sentence," he said.

The idea had been crystal clear in Van Rensburg's mind from the start - the applicator had to be cheap, fast and user-friendly. And it was to be no bigger than the normal condom packaging.

He approached industrial designer Roelph Mulder of XYZ Designs and after many hours of blood sweat they came up with a contraption.

The principle is simple, says Van Rensburg. "The condom is sealed with a cheap and small plastic applicator, with a weak spot in the centre.

"When you get that urge, you grab the packet in both hands and bend it.

"The condom rolls over the penis automatically in the peeling action. When it reaches the bottom the wings are given a slight twist and in a flash you're ready for action."

Van Rensburg claims couples are even able to feel the up or down side in the dark. The wings fit any sized condom or penis. Even the shy, half-mast guys are accommodated.

Stephen Kramer chief of Metropolitan Aids research unit, who covered all the costs, says the use of condoms in South Africa is alarmingly low. "We immediately realised the applicator could be an important counter for HIV/Aids.

"We decided to fund the project as it would hopefully destigmatise condom use and eliminate a lot of bother from the process."

Van Rensburg maintains local condom manufacturers have shown marked enthusiasm for the applicator and he is set to discus the idea and patent with big foreign manufacturers soon.

- Die Burger