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Funded by Boston Scientific, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University, and Southern Illinois University, invented a device that could be the biggest breakthrough for erectile dysfunction since Viagra.The team used nitinol to design and prototype a heat-activated device that demonstrated “useful mechanical characteristics, including rigidity to buckling when activated,” according to a paper published in the journal Urology. Nitinol is known for its unique shape-memory and elastic properties. The researchers said the penile prosthesis represents a promising new technology in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, a condition that affects more than half of men over 40, to some degree.