An innovative condom that only covers the tip of the penis is one step closer to reality.

We last told you about local inventor Charles Powell's Galactic Cap in May, when he was using Indiegogo to try to raise $100,000. That cash would be used to launch clinical trials and start the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval process, Powell told us.

See also: Could This Condom Save the Porn Industry?

Well, he recently reached out to L.A. Weekly to share some good news:
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He says commitments for donations will put him over his goal this month. (The number on the Indiego cash tracker doesn't reflect those commitments.) Powell says he still hopes people will donate. The campaign runs through July 31.

The idea behind the condom is to be as unobtrusive as possible — to make safe sex appealing again. (NSFW video):


The money shot here, Powell says, is that the minimal nature of the device means “it leaves the coronal ridge and shaft exposed for more powerful orgasm.”

The two-piece product uses a U-shaped base made of a polyurethane adhesive film; a cap is then attached to that film.

Powell says the cool part about the product is that guys can put the base on hours or days before sex. They can still use the restroom or shower.  “The beauty of it is you can put the base on and you forget about it,” he said.

When users are ready, they stick the cap on, and it won't come off during sex, he says.

The Torrance inventor, who has a day job in film and television production, says he was inspired to invent the Galactic Cap by a friend's death from HIV in the 1980s.

He says that if the Galactic Cap is approved for market, it could help the porn industry, which has been fending off mandatory condom rules in California because, it has argued, viewers don't want to see traditional condoms.

Powell told us he hopes to begin clinical testing on Jan. 1 and see FDA approval by next summer.

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