Penis 2.0: Here's What the Penis of the Future Should Look Like

Like our brains, the human penis hasn’t evolved in
tens of thousands of years — and that’s a real
shame. Our favorite male body part is capable of
so much more. In consideration of pending
advances in science and technology, here’s what
to expect with penis 2.0.
Before we get started it’s important to point out
that much of what I describe below is pure
speculation; think of this post as a “wish list” of
features we’d like to see in a future version of the
human penis. Indeed, many of the proposed
enhancements and augmentations are nowhere
near prime time, and many have never even been
considered by the scientific and medical
communities. With all that said, I did my best to
describe how we might actually make some of this
happen.
[b]Disease Resistance[/b]
First and foremost, the penis of the future must be
resistant to sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the Center for Disease Control , there
are about 20 million new infections of STDs in the
U.S. each year, burdening the American healthcare
system to the tune of $16 billion in direct medical
costs. STDs are transmitted a number of ways,
including through the blood, vaginal fluids, and
semen. They can also be spread via infected skin
or mucous membranes, such as sores in the
mouth. Exposure typically occurs through vaginal,
anal, or oral sex.



Consequently, penis 2.0 won’t be able to account
for all the various ways STDs are contracted and
transmitted. But a ramped up genital system, in
conjunction with a juiced-up immune system,
could help mitigate risk. For instance, a high-tech
penis could be implanted with bio-sensors that
detect specific foreign pathogens, alerting the rest
of the body to their presence. Once alerted, the
heightened immune system could attack the
pathogens any number of ways, such as
dispatching genetically engineered viruses,
nanobots, or chemical compounds toxic to the
offenders. What’s more, a cybernetic penis —
which would be more synthetic than biological —
is less likely to be susceptible to infection. (Then
again, any penis with blood flowing through it
would probably give pathogens access to the rest
of the body.)
[b]Birth Control on Demand[/b]
Men will eventually have a birth control pill to call
their own. But even then, there will be side-effects
and inconveniences to consider. Indeed, the
detrimental effects of hormonal male contraception
is well known, including weight gain, loss of libido,
gynecomastia (enlarged breasts), liver function
impairment, acne, and changes in good and bad
cholesterol. Not to mention any unknown side
effects to offspring. Moreover, a daily regimen of
pill-taking is not anything anyone should have to
endure, whether they be male or female. What’s
needed is something a bit more on-demand.
A future male reproductive system might feature a
fertility toggle switch that could block the passage
of sperm to the seminal fluid. This could be done
by stationing nanobots in the vas deferens, the
channel where semen and sperm combine; a
simple command, either via chemical circuits or
some other chemical or viral signaling mechanism,
could mobilize them to construct a sperm-
blocking barrier—like a temporary vasectomy. Or,
the nanobots could be on the hunt for sperm-
specific proteins, and take evasive action.
Alternately, the body could be programmed to
produce a potent spermicide in the testes that kills
sperm on contact. The challenge will be to find a
way to quickly disable this feature and restore
sperm to nominal levels. Scientists might also
devise a genetic switch that can turn sperm
production on and off — but again, it could take
time for the sperm to bounce back (it takes 60
days to make sperm), not to mention peripheral
side-effects related to testosterone production.
Speaking of which, a future reproductive system —
or reproductive system 2.0 — should also ensure
consistent levels of testosterone production to
stave off age-related issues such as disturbed
sleep, loss of libido, and reduced muscle mass
.
[b]No More Erectile Difficulties[/b]
The National Institutes of Health estimate that
erectile dysfunction (ED) affects as many as 30-
million men in the United States, and that by 2025
it could affect as many as 300-million globally
. Products like Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis have
helped tremendously, but they’re expensive, they
can cause side effects (like flushing, stomach
upset, diarrhea, flu-like symptoms, muscle and
back pain, and more), and can result in
inconveniently long-lasting erections.
[img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OevTnqQu--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1333304147110843789.jpg[/img]
Future interventions to treat ED are on their way,
and they may arrive before the cybernetic penis.
Advances in pharmacotherapy, gene therapy,
regenerative medicine (like nerve grafts), and a new
drug called avanafil all look promising.
But mechanical things can also go wrong with the
penis, including damage and age-related
impairments to nerves, arteries in and near the
corpora cavernosa (the sponge-like cylindrical
structures in the shaft of the penis), smooth
muscles, and fibrous tissues; erectile function
depends on the structural integrity and
organization of collagen fibers around the corpora
cavernosa, and collagen has a notoriously bad
time repairing itself. To alleviate these problems, a
future penis could be made capable of self-repair,
both to tissues and cells. Genetic engineering
would likely be the best approach. More
practically, an artificial penis (more on this later)
could be designed to withstand age-related
degradation.
[b]Multiple Orgasms[/b]
Speaking of erections: After a man ejaculates, his
penis goes limp. Depending on the guy (age is
definitely a factor), it can take anywhere from a few
minutes to a few hours to regain the capacity for
an erection. This variable length of time, called the
refractory period, constrains a man’s ability to
achieve orgasms in relatively quick succession.
There are a number of theories that attempt to
explain the refractory period, but many scientists
believe there’s a chemical link. Males release a
significant amount of the oxytocin hormone during
ejaculation, along with prolactin — a compound
that suppresses dopamine, which is responsible
for sexual arousal
. Consequently, the refractory period isn’t caused
by a deficiency in the penis per se ; rather, it’s
something that stems from the brain.
One way to shorten the refractory period may be
to introduce prolactin inhibitors . In future, the body
could be engineered to automatically synthesize
these compounds and trigger their release after an
orgasm. Ideally, however, penis 2.0 should be able
to get erect on demand, and not be limited by
autonomic bodily processes.
[b]Enhanced Sensitivity and Climaxes[/b]
The penis in already quite sensitive in its natural
state, but there’s no reason we can’t make a good
thing better.
The skin tissue around the penis is equipped with
nerve fibers that detect touch, temperature, pain,
pleasure, and itch. But as for the experience of
pleasure itself, that happens in the brain,
particularly in the so-called hedonic hotspots,
including the nucleus accumbens, posterior ventral
pallidum, amygdala, and other cortical and
subcortical regions. So, to make the sensations
around the penis feel even more pleasurable, and
to make orgasms feel even better, neuroscientists
of the future will have to find a way to trigger and
excite these brain areas as they correspond to
incoming sensory information from the penis. This
could be done in conjunction with treatments that
increase the nerve density of the penis, but this
would have to be done in such a way that the
penis doesn’t become hyper-sensitive.
Scientists have already used deep brain
stimulation to affect and excite the nucleus
accumbens
, but finding something less invasive will prove to
be a challenge. One possible avenue might be to
link signals coming from the penis’s nerve fibers
to a transcranial magnetic stimulation device (TMS)
or a transcranial direct-current stimulation device
(tDCS). In the future, such devices could be made
internal via implants. To assist with this, advanced
electronic skin patches, like the one developed by
researchers from Seoul National University
, could be used to collect and transmit data to and
from the area being stimulated.
[b]Adjustable Shape and Surface Structure[/b]
Some guys would like their penises to be of a
certain size or girth, either for aesthetic or
functional purposes. At the same time and for
similar reasons, a penis should be able to meet
the demands of a discriminating partner. Ideally,
men should be able to change the smoothness of
their penis, or its surface structure. Penis 2.0
should be like an on-demand French tickler, with
modifiable ridges, grooves, and bumps to enhance
the sexual pleasure of the receiver.
[img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--lxCDZwbs--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1333304147180241293.jpg[/img]
Engineering a penis with these features will be a
monumental technical challenge, and may require
considerable advances in both cybernetics and
materials technology. It may even require an
entirely new penis design altogether. But penis
transplants are not as outrageous as they may
seem; physicians have already transplanted fully
functional penises in patients . In the future, a
synthetic penis, composed of both natural and
artificial components, could be prepared in the lab
for eventual transplantation.
[b]Vibrator and Hands Free Modes[/b]
If we’re going to start bioengineering and
transplanting cyborg penises, it should be capable
of much more than just changing shape. A future
penis should also act like a vibrator, buzzing away
for the pleasure of both sender and receiver.
Armed with this feature you’ll finally be able to
throw away your awkward Fleshlight. With the
vibrating, hands-free penis, you’ll be able to bring
yourself to climax simply by thinking about it.
[b]Internet Ready[/b]
Last but not least, our penis of the future should
be able to connect to the Internet.
[img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Q3BrmP7H--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/1333304147292946829.png[/img]
Once your dick is online you’ll be able to
participate in virtual sex. Today, this is done
through teledildonics; Internet sex toys are already
making it possible to “access” your long-distance
partner
. But with the enhanced, Internet-ready penis, no
external devices will be required.
You could also use your bluetooth-enabled penis
to track and transmit biometric data and other
statistics to an online app. You’ll be able to set
weekly goals for your sex life and monitor health-
related issues. Call it quantified cock. Oh, and a
connection to the Internet will also allow you to
update any software that’s resident in your
upgraded penis.