We rely on technology products every day and expect them to be constantly upgraded. Without improvements in efficiency and user experience, technological innovations quickly become outdated. Imagine if Apple didn't update iOS or the iPhone for a year.
However, nearly a century has passed without a technological upgrade for a product that is perhaps the closest thing to our bodies: the condom. That antiquated trend came to an end this week, with the new structurally redesigned condom, LELO Hex.
It was launched by LELO, a Swedish company, and represents one of the first major advances in technology in 70 years. LELO engineers spent seven years developing their new condoms, which led them to a crucial discovery: they didn't need new materials, but an upgraded structure.
Why hexagons?
It turns out that this six-sided shape is among the most resistant under pressure and leakage, as seen in nature.
“There’s a reason why honeycombs are shaped this way. It’s because hexagons are strong, symmetrical, and perfect,” explained Filip Sedec, LELO hEX’s hydrator. “It’s one of nature’s most common shapes for anything that needs to be both lightweight and extremely strong. That’s why the structure of graphene—the thinnest, strongest material we know of today—is hexagonal.”
Unlike other condoms, HEX features a hexagonal honeycomb-shaped mesh. Each HEX condom incorporates 350 small hexagons into its latex surface, resulting in more effective performance.
The ultra-thin hexagonal material also stretches as needed. It's more resistant to friction and pressure, and prevents latex from tearing, LELO claims. Even when repeatedly pierced with a needle, the material remained intact.
The company also points out how important safe sex is and how HIV rates have risen in recent years. And for those still thinking about it, this new condom doesn't diminish the pleasure at all.
