Researchers create condom that feels like skin

Scientists have invented a condom that feels the same as wearing nothing, it has been reported.

The University of Wollongong in Australia created the contraceptive using hydrogel, a strong and flexible solid that feels and acts like human tissue.

The condom is also self-lubricating and can administer Viagra. After receiving  a $100,000 grant, the researchers spent nine months testing and manipulating the material.

It may even be able to offer electric conductivity, according to the scientists.

Robert Gorkin, materials scientist led the team of researchers and said that the condom is also an effective form of protection.

He explained in an interview with the Daily Mail: "Our original idea was just to try to prove that an original material could replace latex. We were starting from scratch, we had an idea that these new materials would have the same properties as rubber with a nicer feel, but we weren't sure if they had the right properties for a condom.

"The early indications are that the materials are strong enough and actually do prevent against the transfer of small biological molecules."

Hydrogel has previously been used to create prosthetics for things such as eye implants and blood vessels.

Researchers said their aim was to dispel the myth that wearing condoms made sexual intercourse less pleasurable.

However before it can be released onto the general market, it has to go through rigorous checks. For this reason, the scientists plan to team up with Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne to conduct biometric testing. This will help measure the bodies response to the material.

Gorkin added: "We'll be able to look at brain activity to see whether it really feels better than latex.

"If you make them so pleasurable that people can't wait to put them on, then more people will use them, and we can hopefully stop the spread of disease. It's as simple as that."