Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A design student from Switzerland has created a sex aid which acts as a support to help trans men who have a surgically created penis and lacking erectile tissue enjoy penetrative sex.

Stella Waldvogel, 28, who is a student at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in Switzerland, has designed the sex aid named ARIS (A Sleeve for Men with a Neophallus) which is intended to help transgender men gain erectile function.

The 28-year-old student came up with the idea when a friend approached her several years ago and asked her to design a solution as”there was no good way that trans men could have penetrative sex without implanting an erection pump”.

After she did some research and found out that the majority of erectile aids on the market are usually painful for trans men or lead to no pleasure at all, Waldvogel decided to act and spent two years working on the product which she presented as her graduation project.

Waldvogel told Newsflash: “My motivation to make this project happened when a friend, who happens to be a transgender man, approached me and asked if I, as a soon to be designer, could develop a product that helps people with phalloplasty to have active penetrative sex without the need of another surgery.”

The student explained that ARIS should help trans men who have a surgically-formed penis and lack the erectile tissue required for stiffening which makes penetrative sex impossible.

She revealed that the sex aid, with its organic shape, should stabilise the phallus reliably and facilitate a confident sex life thus offering maximum pleasure and safety.

Waldvogel explained further project plans and said: “The goal is to further develop the product and raise funds so that we can do initial product testing. I don’t have an exact schedule yet.

“What is certain is that the product should be launched on the market at some point. ARIS is already supported by BØWIE, an incubator for LGBTQ+ projects.”

The medical silicone product is not yet available, however, the student is planning to sell it online in various colours and sizes in the future after it undergoes necessary tests.

A 3D-printed version of the final product is currently showcased as part of an online exhibition of ZHdK graduates.