British designer Ben Pawle has come up with a condom wrapper for people with disabilities that can be opened with a simple finger-clicking action (+ movie).

The One Handed Condom Wrapper is designed for people with hemiplegia, a condition which paralyses one side of the body, making some everyday tasks extremely difficult. The wrapper requires a simple finger-clicking action to break both the outer layer of foil and the thin plastic lining inside.

"I guess it's just common sense - why is a condom an obstacle and hinderance instead of enhancing a moment?" says Pawle. "It was born out of a project that looked at a specific condition but it actually had a value that everyone could appreciate or connect with."

We previously featured a condom applicator which was named the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa by Dutch designer Jurgen Bey.

See all our stories about sex »

Here's some more information from the designer:

Preserving human dignity

The project concerns hemiplegia, a condition affecting one side of the body with semi-paralysis symptoms similar to that of a stroke, which makes simple daily tasks we take for granted surprisingly difficult. I chose to focus on how indignity manifests itself in these situations, trying to prevent these moments from occurring by providing a designed intervention. I looked at the challenges a hemiplegic faces over the course of their life with particular focus on the experience of growing up and the social anxieties that we feel experience.

Through research I managed to gain insight into the effects of hemiplegia on people's lives. One of the most common effects is hand dystonia - involuntary contraction and twisting of muscles. This has very obvious physical effects, limiting function, dexterity, manipulation and numbing the senses in the affected side.

Condom

At a time when you perhaps want a moment to run as smoothly as possible, unwrapping a condom can be a stressful experience. With increasing feelings of awkwardness between partners and the added pressure from surrounding social groups, this activity can cause surprising distress.

The design is a one handed condom wrapper to help newly sexually active young adults to avoid embarrassment when using a condom. It is easily opened to boost feelings of confidence, allowing the individual to perform and sustain a mood without the awkward distraction of a difficult wrapper. I wanted to try to exploit the moment of opening, to make it as smooth in real life as the moment that exists inside your head, focusing on the gesture making it charming and cool!

A durable outer layer of foil with perforations protects the thin inner plastic lining sealing the condom. It uses a finger snapping action to exert enough force to break both layers.

It is not a hardcore product design as deep and detailed as materials, glues and welding, but it is a crafted experience, and feasible nonetheless. I have creative barcode protection and have registered the design.