ENGR103_section071_group07_designproposal

ENGR 103 Project Proposal Section 071, Group 07
ENGR 103 Spring 2016
Freshman Engineering Design Lab
“AntiViral and Spermicidal Alginate Condom”
Project Design Proposal

Date Submitted: April 08, 2016
Group Members {Talaial Alina, tba28@drexel.edu }
{Dan Nguyen, dn422@drexel.edu }
{Gabriel LeVee, gbl29@drexel.edu }
{Chris Yankelunas, cjy27@drexel.edu }

Technical Advisor {Hao Cheng, hcheng@coe.drexel.edu}

Abstract:
Sex is a natural activity that provides a method of reproduction, and pleasure to people’s
lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that countless numbers of people engage in this activity
everyday. Yet, men, and women, repeatedly refuse to employ condoms because condoms reduce
sexual pleasure during sex. This refusal causes the rate of sexually transmitted diseases to rise,
negatively affecting the wider population. Thus, how can the general public, public health
authorities, and scientists confront this complex issue? First, these stakeholders must
acknowledge that condoms should be innovated to eliminate common, but harmful, perceptions
surrounding condom use, and reduce the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. The project
seeks to develop an alginate condom that combines pleasure, durability, and drug delivery
properties to innovate within this area and advance the efforts of these relevant parties. This will
be achieved over the course of ten weeks of initial planning to product implementation. Within
this process, the primary issue may be ensuring that the spermicidal coating, alginate layer, and
underlying antiviral layer work cohesively. The final product should be appealing to a variety of
customers, and fulfill the core objectives of helping users engage in pleasurable sex, defend
against sexually transmitted diseases, and prevent unplanned pregnancy.
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Introduction
The Center for Disease and Control reports that “20 million new sexually transmitted
infections [or sexually transmitted diseases (i.e. STDs)] occur” [1] annually in the United States;
a unique issue that must be dealt with through the cooperation of policy makers, health planners,
and researchers. These diseases often spread because individuals frequently “enter into sexual
relations with a dislike of condoms and a perception of condom sex as ‘other sex’” [2] according
to researchers Jan Browne and Victor Minichiello in the Sociology of Health and Illness journal.
This perception leads these persons to avoid condom use that would prevent the spread of STDs.
Thus, the project seeks to develop an innovative alginate based, male hydrogel contraceptive to
encourage safe and pleasurable sex to reduce this trend of sexual diseases.
The project development will progress over several stages during the ten weeks available.
The first stage will involve researching the properties of alginate and its application for a male
contraceptive. This research may result in challenges as to how to ensure alginate drugs are
safely and efficiently released. The second stage will involve creating the necessary chemical
and mechanical designs for the contraceptive. The third stage will acquire the materials for these
designs. The fourth stage will build these concepts into tangible products. During this process,
there will be a significant challenge of creating the spermicidal coating, the alginate layer
beneath, and an underlying antiviral lubricant coating prepared to be released upon rupture. The
fifth stage will entail testing the finalized alginate condom during several trials to evaluate its
maximum strength and feasibility. These trials will determine whether the substitution and
change in amounts of certain materials within the contraceptive is necessary. The sixth stage
assumes that all prior stages have successfully advanced to prepare for greater testing and the
presentation for the final report. The final alginate condom product should meet all expectations
and be properly packaged. The last stage will conclude with the final report presentation that will
present a summary and analysis of group efforts over the duration of the course.
This analysis will yield questions and conclusions about the actual durability of an
alginate condom and its effectiveness in delivering antiviral drugs to eliminate STDs. In
particular, do alginate contraceptives have adequate properties to deliver antiviral drugs? Do
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alginate condoms have a high threshold of failure to achieve the project’s primary ambitions?
What balance can be achieved between the strength and thinness of an alginate condom to
maintain its effectiveness? How can the project’s results be replicable and commercialized?
1 Deliverables
The main objective is to create a male contraceptive that is fully functional for
recreational use but more importantly will execute its primary task of safely and effectively
delivering drugs in the case of an emergency. Such emergencies occur when the contraceptive
breaks or the user engages in sexual activities with a partner infected with the virus.
Furthermore, there will be a CAD model that illustrates the specific dimensions and layers of the
contraceptive. The contraceptive designed from this CAD model will be affixed with a
spermicidal agent if the condom fractures to release the agent into the affected area. Beneath the
agent will be the alginate and antiviral layers. Thus, this design will be tested during several
trials to evaluate its durability and ease of drug delivery.
The contraceptive should also uphold industry standards in physical appearance and scent
which could be factors that ultimately decide whether or not consumers decide to purchase this
product. The contraceptive should therefore be confidently handled and ready for demonstration.
2 Technical Activities
2.1 Brainstorm and Research of Alginate Contraceptive
Researching alginate and contraceptives will allow for the understanding of their
properties and durability. This creates an understanding of the mechanics and chemicals needed
to tangibly achieve these properties. In addition, it creates questions as to what existing materials
can be substituted or improved to develop the alginate contraceptive.
2.1.1 Research and Layout of Chemical and Mechanical Contraceptive
After thoroughly understanding the chemical and mechanical properties of the alginate
contraceptive, a computer assisted design (CAD) of the alginate contraceptive will be developed.
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In this design, there will be a multilayer of a spermicidal coating, the alginate hydrogel, and the
antiviral lubricant in descending order. The multilayer will be created through the use of revolve,
cut, round, and chamfer.
The design process will certainly be difficult because the actual design must incorporate
the appropriate chemicals. The chemical design must include substances that can decrease the
porosity and increase the strength (force of tension and friction) of the alginate contraceptive.
Furthermore, these should be biocompatible chemicals that will create the best antiviral
lubricant, coating material, and spermicidal agent. Additionally, the mechanical design must
incorporate both thick material for safety reasons, and thin material to maximize sensitivity and
ensure commercial viability.
2.2 Acquire Materials to Build Chemical and Mechanical Designs
The materials necessary to implement the chemical and mechanical designs of the
alginate contraceptive are the spermicidal lubricant, alginate hydrogel, antiviral lubricant, and
chemicals for scent and physical appearance. Many of these materials may be expensive and
complex to design. Thus, the group should actively search online and within their network to
obtain inexpensive and reliable sources of these materials. After obtaining these materials, the
parts of the alginate contraceptive will be separately developed in accordance to fixed
dimensions in the CAD model, and will later be attached together to form the alginate
contraceptive.
2.3 Experimental Trials and Finalization of Product
The last tasks of the project will involve testing the final prototype of the alginate
contraceptive. This will entail several trials testing the stretch factor, strength, durability,
stiffness, and appearance of the material. The stretch factor and strength will be tested through
experiments that will determine the maximum weight load of the alginate contraceptive. The
durability will be tested through a small tensile strength machine. Stiffness will be measured by
deflection under a specific load. Different loads to the center of the material could thus determine
its stiffness.
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Additionally, since the project intends to simulate a consumer product, team members
and members of the public will evaluate the appearance of the material, an important trait for
consumers. In response to these results, the group will either minimally or significantly change
the computer design and actual design of the alginate contraceptive. These efforts will seek to
create a durable and fulfilling product that serves its primary objective of promoting safer sex.
After completing the design process, the group will create a final report and presentation
that details experiments conducted, technical challenges faced, and information about the final
product established throughout the ten weeks of development. Indeed, these works will clearly
communicate a summary and analysis of such efforts to a public audience that may serve to
benefit from the project results.
3 Project Timeline
Alginate Contraceptive Project Gantt Chart

Week
Task 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1
0
Brainstorm and Research of Alginate Contraceptive x
Research and Layout of Chemical and Mechanical Design x
Acquire Materials to Build Chemical and Mechanical Design x
Formation of Chemical Design and Mechanical Design   x x x
Testing and Product Finalization x x
Testing and Final Report Preparation x
Final Report Presentation x

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4 Facilities and Resources
The project will require the expertise of specific professors within Drexel University.
Indeed, Monica Illies is an essential resource during this project. The professor’s knowledge and
power within the chemistry department is useful to achieving the objectives outlined within this
proposal. Specifically, Professor Illies’s assistance can permit the group to employ a laboratory
for the design of this product which will greatly increase the design process’s effectiveness. The
group can also talk to Professor Guiseppe Palmese, the department head of Chemical
Engineering at Drexel University, and an expert in “thermosetting polymers and biomaterials”
[3]; knowledge important for creating an alginate contraceptive under the right conditions. In
addition, Professor Palmese would likely have access to a tensile strength machine to test the
strength of the contraceptive and help improve experimental results. Indeed, Professor Palmese’s
skills and range of resources will play a tremendous role in supporting the project’s progress.
5 Expertise
The complexity of the project mandates that all group members have advanced
communication and writing skills to develop detailed project proposals and lab journals, and to
coherently express their vision for the design of the alginate contraceptive. In addition, these
skills should address potential disagreements that may arise. These include discussions over
which chemicals to incorporate, mathematical dimensions of the contraceptive, and how to
balance costs of materials. These discussions should be held under a comfortable atmosphere to
allow for group members to compromise on any issue.
Under this atmosphere, group members should be delegated with specialized roles that
best fit their skills. In particular, group members with experience in Autodesk Fusion 360, CAD
software, should design the alginate contraceptive. These members will notice the unique
features of the software to quickly and efficiently build the contraceptive. Furthermore, Matlab
skills are necessary to compute equations regarding the properties of the chemicals and materials
involved to create the final product. Indeed, the force of tension of the contraceptive must be
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determined to evaluate durability, and the kinetics of the drug delivery must be calculated to
assure that the antiviral drug properly releases outside of the contraceptive.
After these designs are completed, group members with unique chemical and mechanical
design skills should design the alginate contraceptive in the last stages of the project. These
creative skills are essential in translating the design proposal to a reliable, tangible, and cost
effective product.
6 Budget
Table 2: Budget for Biomaterials and Mechanical Hardware
Category Projected Cost
Mechanical Hardware $60.00
Biomaterials $43.02
Total $103.02
6.1 Mechanical Hardware
A pump, a ruler, several beakers, and also a thermometer will be purchased from Amazon
for testing purposes as part of the Mechanical Hardware aspect of the budget. The pump will be
used to test the flexibility of the contraceptive during the testing phase once a prototype has been
made. The ruler will be used for measuring the expansion of the finished product, length of the
material itself, and for other relevant purposes. Secondly, the beakers will be used to collect the
materials and will aid in the experimentation process. Thirdly, the thermometer will be used to
test the temperature since the mixing process is temperature sensitive (it cannot be too hot nor
too cold). 3D printing will also be essential in creating a mold of the design. The materials for
the 3D printer will be obtained from local convenience stores. The estimated cost for all of these
materials is $60.00 (cost that also foresees broken materials).
6.2 Biomaterials
Chitosan, spermicidal lubricant, and antibacterial (antiviral) lubricant will be purchased
from Amazon as part of the Biomaterials section of the budget. The antibacterial lubricant will
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be purchased for $16.95 under the following name: Antibacterial Lubricant OCO® (Only
Coconut Oil). The antibacterial lubricant will be used to reduce the risk of transmission of STDs
if the contraceptive fractures. The spermicidal lubricant will also be purchased for $13.48 under
the following name: Spermicidal Lubricant Trimensa Pharmaceuticals Prepair Spermicidal
Lubricant, 2.4 Fluid Ounce. The spermicidal lubricant will kill any sperm cells if the
contraceptive breaks to reduce the risk of pregnancy for the users. The chitosan will then be
purchased for $12.59 under the following name: Now Foods Chitosan 500mg Plus Chromium,
120 Capsules. The chitosan will specifically increase the durability of the hydrogel
contraceptive. These materials will be held under the alginate hydrogel provided in class that will
hold the materials together through crosslinking at the atomic level.
7 References
[1] J. Browne and V. Minichiello, "The condom: why more people don't put it on.",
Sociology of Health & Illness, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 229251, 1994.
[2] "2014 STD Surveillance| CDC", Cdc.gov, 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/default.htm. [Accessed: 08 Apr 2016].
[3] "Giuseppe R. Palmese Chemical & Biological Engineering", Chemical & Biological
Engineering, 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://drexel.edu/cbe/contact/faculty/GiuseppeRPalmese/. [Accessed: 08 Apr 2016].
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