New condom takes only 3 seconds to put on

A South African designer has come up with an ingenious invention: a condom that can be applied in less than four seconds. Dubbed Pronto, the condom aims to be quicker and easier to apply than conventional brands with the hopes of encouraging more people to use them.

Reported in blog Springwise on Tuesday, inventor Willem van Renburg saw the need for a better condom living in a country with the highest population of people infected with HIV in the world.

"The condom is contained within a foil pack -- which also acts as the applicator -- and is packaged in a protective sleeve," writes Springwise. The product website features a video with instructions on how to apply the condom: crack the pack in half and slip the plastic applicator apart, then roll the condom down and snap the applicator off the condom -- all in one swift movement.

After years of development and testing, the Pronto condom is ready for global distribution. The product launched in South Africa in February and plans to grant distribution licenses around the globe, with the first license just given to a company in Switzerland, according to the company. But the Pronto comes at a cost: a three-pack sells for R33.95, about 1 per condom.