Bennett was awake by 3:30am on Sunday in Minneapolis. But by the afternoon he was set up with quesadillas and tortilla chips for a stream of meetings in the corner of Mexican restaurant Border Grill at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.
First, a product development team from Shenzhen — shaved head, leather jacket and eyebrow piercing on one guy, track pants and a striped sweater on the other. Industrial design is a not-insignificant challenge for Morari. One of the issues solved so far: an adhesive that doesn’t rip hair. Other crucial problems: How to turn off the device when you’re done delaying an orgasm? Should the gadget be disposable or reusable? The project manager delivers detailed monologues on battery form factor and manufacturing chains in China.
Bennett has an early-stage prototype. It’s a perineum patch, a wearable for the taint. About the size of a large band aid, it’s packed with a small battery, electrodes and a Bluetooth connection. Mild electrical pulses, currently used in pain relief, “confuse” the user’s nerves and delay a male orgasm, he says. (It’s essentially a small, wireless transdermal electric neuromodulation — or TENS — unit.) And it works, Bennett assures. He tested the latest prototype two nights ago.
Next, a French reporter from the business press. Bennett gives the pitch he’ll repeat dozens of times before the night is up. On top of the 30 percent of men who’ve suffered from P.E., another 30 percent might wish to delay an orgasm — think of the market possibilities. Like Viagra, this could be used recreationally, too. Yet while “E.D.” is freely discussed, “P.E.” is still taboo. “It hasn’t been appreciated in terms of how big of a problem it is,” he tells her. The guacamole slowly browns.
