How cardiovascular research led to innovative erection support

The Firmtech erection support device was born out of a medical research need married to innovative design thinking. Dr Elliot Justin was originally called in by a Utah urologist and medical researcher. He was asked to create a wearable device to gather research data on the unconscious erections men get while sleeping. The new data was intended to provide medical research insights into cardiovascular health. It turns out that the frequency and firmness of these spontaneous natural body maintenance erections in men provide excellent leading indicators for potential cardiovascular problems.

But to get men to voluntarily wear a data-logging device on their genitals all night, Elliot reasoned, it would have to be super-comfortable. The breakthroughs came when he figured out how to redesign the traditional constrictive penis ring in several innovative ways. This made it comfortable enough to wear all night. It also supported more pleasurable sex – while all along gathering health data. And you can track the data on an app. Now they had a value proposition many men would relate to.

The human story behind Firmtech

What set my husband apart as a doctor is that he is creative and he is not a prude. He’s horny and smart and that led to research breakthroughs – Ann Justin, co-founder and creative director of Firmtech

I spoke to both Dr Elliot Justin and his wife Ann this week and I was impressed. Each of them brings a refreshing combination of restless creativity, disarming frankness about sex, and boundless energy. They are both in their very youthful 70s and have been married over 40 years. After giving up his long term ER medical practice several years ago, Elliot was searching for ways to contribute to new medical technology. The project to gather accurate data about spontaneous nocturnal erections had been languishing for 12 years when Elliot was invited to get involved, and brought what sounds to me like modern design thinking to some age-old problems.

Accurate data about nocturnal erections

It wasn’t till after my treatment for prostate cancer that I gave those spontaneous “stiffies” in the middle of the night more than a passing thought. They are not only being leading indicators of cardiovascular health issues. They are also a crucial unconscious mechanism for maintaining erectile function for (conscious) sexual purposes. Tracking these harbingers of health through the night has been a mental and physical help to many men’s recovery and penile rehabilitation. Here’s the story of one man’s makeshift, but very effective, data logging spontaneous nocturnal tumescence.

Now the Firmtech device does it all in a modern way using a penis ring linked to an app. The image shows a sample of the remarkably detailed data you get, if you wear one of these rings through the night (during the day you transfer it to a wireless charging post).

Weak nocturnal erections are important for otherwise healthy men as they might indicate the presence of cardiovascular disease or adverse medication interactions. Without the data logger, you might not even know about the lurking threat. And for men like me recovering from prostate cancer, the return of nocturnal erections is an important early indicator of penile rehabilitation.

Firmtech erection support – innovative design for old sex aid

So much for the medical story. What I found fascinating about the Justin and Firmtech story is how this medical data logger has found its way into human sexual relations. Constrictive penis rings (colloquially called cock rings) have been around for a long time. They are well known to men recovering from prostate cancer treatment. Generally they work by mechanically restricting outflow of blood at the base of the penis. They are quite ubiquitous in the gay scene. And they are frequently used to support the male performance demands of the porn industry.

But a lot of these devices, whether bought from corner sex shops or high end boutiques, are very difficult to put on without damaging some sensitive body parts. The most effective ones are often pretty uncomfortable to wear. And generally, the penis rings that work for people with ED come with a 30 minute maximum time limit before the constriction can cause long term penis damage.

More comfortable, wearable and drug free erection support

The Firmtech erection support ring does a remarkable job of addressing discomfort, extending the time you can wear the ring, and making putting it on and taking it off far easier than alternative devices. I bought one after hearing snippets of the above story on Melissa Hadley Barret’s Penis Project podcast. It has quickly become my favourite drug-free way of supporting my rather unreliable or partial erections.

Key innovations include:

• Easy to put on and take off due to clever “clip” mechanism
• Comfortable soft squishy elastomer material
• Branches snugly behind and in front of scrotum for more support without discomfort
• Optional extra of the data logging functionality.

It has been a pleasure to get to know the people behind this innovative small business after becoming a practical user of their product. On another page, I’ve written up the nitty-gritty details about how the Firmtech penis ring works, why I like it and the different options you can buy.