Buzz
COSO is a contraceptive method utilizing ultrasound waves designed for males, winning the James Dyson Award (an international design award aimed at honoring, encouraging, and inspiring the next generation of design engineers) for its design and engineering. It is a hormone-free device and can be used at home, temporarily altering the sperm production process.Inspiration Source
Rebecca Weiss, a creative mind, was diagnosed with precancerous cervical cancer due to birth control pills. Consequently, hormonal contraception was no longer an option for her. As she and her partner sought an alternative method, they realized the lack of contraceptive options for men. This issue affects many and is evident in the increasing public discourse on the lack of alternative contraceptive methods. Weiss decided to address the problem by developing a new contraceptive method for men in her master's thesis on Industrial Design at the Technical University of Munich.
Functioning of COSO
Users will fill the device with water up to the indicated mark, as discussed with a physician based on individual testicular sizes. Then, the water is heated to a specific temperature. COSO will treat using ultrasound waves. Users will shift their legs and sit down to place the testicles into the device. The ultrasound process takes a few minutes. Remaining time can be monitored in real-time through the COSO app. After treatment, the device will automatically shut off. COSO's technology is based on a successful study by the Parsemus Foundation on ultrasound contraceptive methods since 2012. Thus far, the procedure has been applied to animals. Hence, the technical specifications are transferred hypothetically to humans.
Design Process
New technologies only function if they are accepted by users and society. Therefore, user acceptance is the focus in Weiss's design process. To identify user needs, she conducted a survey with 422 participants. Based on this, young men aged 20 to 30 in stable relationships were sorted into 25 co-design workshops. User requirements were identified as the basis for device development. Additionally, participants were asked to sketch a device using ultrasound based on their own ideas. The sketches were grouped and developed into concepts. Then, experts from urology, andrology, sex therapy, psychotherapy, and research provided evaluations from a professional perspective with these approaches. After completing the sketch prototypes, ergonomic prototypes were made of paper and hardcover for testing on different participants. Prototypes were tested on the largest average testicular sizes with a urologist and adjusted according to testicular anatomy. The final design was built by a detailed CAD model. In the final step, they determined colors and materials, evaluated with users. Brand value, COSO app, and website were developed for project communication in a unified manner.
