A bionic penis could help men who have lost erectile function.
The high-tech todger is currently being developed by Chinese boffins, who are hopeful it will work after successful experiments on pigs.
The synthetic schlong mimics a fibrous sheath of tissue that keeps blokes standing to attention.
It could also be used to repair sex injuries, car and machine accidents, gunshot wounds or burns.
The artificial tunica albuginea (ATA) is based on water soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) which has a similar curled structure.
“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 a common health problem and affects around half of men between the ages of 40 and 70.
About one-in-20 suffer from Peyronie’s disease, a connective tissue disorder that can occur as a result of sex.
Scar tissue forms in the tunica albuginea, causing pain and a range of other effects, explained Dr Shi.
He said: “We noticed that this is an area that has received little attention, yet the related need is huge.”
So far, lab tests have given positive results.
The device described in the journal Matter hasn’t been found to be toxic to other tissues and blood – so can remain in the body for a long time.
Patches of the material were used on Chinese miniature pigs with injured penises.
Results suggest it restored erectile function by successfully replacing the natural tissue’s function.
As the animals share anatomical and physiological similarities with humans, this is promising.
Dr Shi said: “The results one month after the procedure showed the ATA group achieved good, though not perfect, repair results.”
As penile repairs can be difficult, more research is in the works.
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.”
The researchers also plan to investigate techniques to repair other tissues – including the heart and bladder.
Dr Shi said: “This design approach is not limited to the biomimetic design of tunica albuginea tissues but can be extended to many other load-bearing tissues.”
