If erectile function is negatively impacting your sex life, hope is restored with a new invention known as the bionic penis. The high-tech gadget is in the production phase by a Chinese research team, who are seeing results after a few successful experiments on pigs. If men are similar to pigs, erectile dysfunction sufferers may finally experience light under the tunnel.
Scientists have built the bionic penis to replicate a fibrous sheath of tissue that keeps blokes standing to attention. The artificial tunica albuginea (ATA) is based on water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which has a similar curled structure. This innovation delivers a possible solution for sex injuries, car and machine accidents, gunshot wounds or burns.
Co-author Dr. Xuetao Shi, of the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, said: “We largely foresaw the problems and results of the ATA construction process. But we were still surprised by the results in the animal experiments, where the penis regained normal erection immediately after the use of ATA. The greatest advantage is that it achieves tissue-like functions by mimicking the microstructure of natural tissues.”
Erectile dysfunction is not a rare condition as it affects approximately half of men between the ages of 40 and 70. Dr. Xuetao Shi explains: “We noticed that this is an area that has received little attention, yet the related need is huge.”
The lab tests are delivering promising results as the device hasn’t had any toxic reactions and can be stored in the body for a long time. Swatches of the material were used on Chinese miniature pigs with injured penises and it was effective in successfully replacing the natural tissue’s function.
Dr. Shi said: “The results one month after the procedure showed the ATA group achieved good, though not perfect, repair results.”
The research is an evolving process with still more work needed. Dr. Shi said: “Our work at this stage focuses on the repair of a single tissue in the penis. The next stage will be to consider the repair of the overall penile defect or the construction of an artificial penis from a holistic perspective.”
In the near future, a fulfilling sex life is available to those who are suffering in silence behind closed doors.