Indian scientist Dr. Lakshminarayanan Ragupathy has won a 100,000 dollars grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to produce a new generation of eco-friendly condoms.
The next generation condoms will use polyester as a raw material. If successful, a thinner variety of eco-friendly condoms would be developed at a cheaper cost.
Dr. Ragupathy's project is one of over 50 Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) Round 12 grants announced by the Foundation.
He also said it would be his endeavor to develop extremely thin and bio-degradable condoms, which will ensure increased use of condoms in the days to come.
The scientist had also received funding for his proposal to develop a super-thin, ultra-sensitive male contraceptive made by blending latex with graphene.
Graphene can reduce condoms' thickness from about 0.07 mm to less than 0.04 mm and also increase heat conductivity.