
LELO HEX: The Condom, Re-Engineered - wslh
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lelo-hex-the-world-s-first-re-engineered-condom#/
======
Jaruzel
Gizmodo have done a hands on (ahem) review of it. They weren't impressed:

[http://gizmodo.com/this-honeycomb-pattern-condom-feels-
like-...](http://gizmodo.com/this-honeycomb-pattern-condom-feels-like-an-
overpriced-1781893407)

------
neves
Ok, Bill Gates is giving free money for who develops a better condom:
[http://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/develop-next-
gener...](http://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/develop-next-generation-
condom-round-11)

Why does someone need crowdsourcing money? Is it a fraud?

Maybe the project criteria for "better" is different than Gate's.

~~~
dnissley
Looks like this project predates the Gates foundation initiative:
[http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/articles/lelo-
hex-...](http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/articles/lelo-hex-condom-
the-condom-of-the-future-w209866)

Lelo is already an established player in sex toys.

~~~
neves
Ok, but why crowdsourcing? Isn't free money better? Maybe they just want the
marketing.

~~~
giarc
Bingo - both sources are free money, but indiegogo is marketing, plus you get
the product in the hands of users.

~~~
oniony
They're not gloves ;)

------
throwawaysf100
I am sure there are people who experience breakage or really hate the feeling
of a condom while on, but IMO the thing to solve is the putting it on part.

1\. (the good part of condoms) = When encountering a new person the condom
serves as an easy way to ask for permission without saying: "Can I have sex
with you now". Instead, it's just "Should I get a condom?" Easy enough for her
to say yes or no without the pressure.

2 (the bad part) When already familiar with the other person, condoms stop the
entire mood and then both people have to wait. IMO, this is the worst part of
using them in a relationship.

I think if I were working on a replacement for a condom, I would try to tackle
that second issue.

~~~
giarc
Re: 1 - does No mean "Yes to sex, but No to condom" or "No to sex and no to
condom".

~~~
mpolichette
I think thats the idea. You can say no to the sex w/o rejecting the person.
Its perfectly reasonable to not be ready for sex in a relationship.

~~~
kbenson
You're missing the real question in the comment. The response doesn't
necessarily say whether the other party wants sex or not if they answer no, it
leaves the two options listed above as the possible interpretations.

------
peterwwillis
There are already lots of specialty condoms on the market, the problem is
their availability. Only a few brands and types are carried in stores, so
you're left to order condoms in bulk on the internet and just hope that you
have a lot of sex soon after. And that's if you just happen to be at home with
your giant stash of custom condoms; if you're out and about somewhere, you
have to run to whatever corner store is nearby.

I'm all for condom innovation, but until it's in all the stores, very few
people will be using them.

Also - they said that the barrier to condoms was not access, but appeal. This
isn't the case. Many (most?) teen pregnancies are the result of a lack of
access to condoms. Condoms cost money, and a lot of people don't have the
extra cash to spend just to keep some handy. You can get them for free from a
clinic, but is there a clinic near you, and do you have the time or access to
go there - as a teenager?

This is part of why the State of Maryland has recently passed a bill to cover
100% of the vasectomy, birth control, and the morning after pill for state
residents. Hopefully more states will at least start dropping their draconian
requirements for a doctor to prescribe you birth control as well.

~~~
ruste
That's fantastic! Good for Maryland! Hopefully it catches on. I'm not normally
one for government spending and programs like this, but this is a cause I can
get behind. I think reducing unintended pregnancies is a significant step
toward a better society.

------
devy
It's hilarious they put charlie sheen backing front and center as the
marketing pitch.

~~~
giarc
Why? He is a man known for his sexual relationships throughout his career and
has now contracted HIV.

~~~
sgt
He's known for being a drug addict, a misogynistic parasite and an asshole.
Don't take it from me. He even says so himself. Arguably he's lost his talent,
and has ended up as a true manifestation of the worst Hollywood has to offer.
I find it unbelievable that a company would choose Sheen to front their
product.

~~~
giarc
He was star of the highest rated (grossing?) show on television for quite a
number of years up until very recently. Talent is quite subjective.

------
cheald
LELO has quite the reputation for selling overpriced stuff (they had a sex toy
that they marketed to wealthy bankers, claiming it was “the first pleasure
object ever created to satisfy the hedonistic sexual cravings and excesses
exhibited by members of the financial world.” It shipped with a pair of
cufflinks and a money clip.)

Chances that this is a gimmick to sell overpriced latex to people? _Very_
high.

------
andy_ppp
Meh...

I've always wondered about a condom that is super easy to put on and that you
can't get the wrong way around. Imagine the packaging unrolls the condom onto
you as you push through it so to speak. Seems like it should be infinitely
doable and much easier to use?

~~~
abandonliberty
This exists. I'm at work, but you can google pronto condom. It's been around
for years and likely has a new name now.

------
anotheryou
I'd rather have a ripped one, than one with a hidden hole in it...

real graphene strengthened condoms funded by bill gates:
[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008622316...](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008622316303864)

------
lifeisstillgood
Ah. I kind of assumed that Kickstarter et al videos were still at the three
people talking into an iPhone. I mean these guys apparently wanted to raise 12
k and probably spent half that on the video.

I always assumed I could grab my great idea and dash off a quick video and go
viral - reality is such a bath of cold water

