0 comments / Posted on by Peyton Tong

When you think of sex tech, do you start picturing curvy robots that look like they’re straight out of hentai?  If so, you aren’t far off. However, there is actually a lot more to sex tech than you may realize.

Use a vibrator? That’s sex tech. 

Watch porn online? That’s sex tech too. 

Send a nude or sext? Yep, that’s sex tech as well.

Technology has improved our lives in countless ways, and that includes our sex lives. Sex tech is an industry that looks for innovative technologies to increase sexual pleasure and intimacy. 

This can include sex bots, virtual reality, live streaming webcams, sex toys, phone sex, and even sexting.  

According to Amanda Gesselman, Scientist and Associate Director for Research at the Kinsey Institute, “technology is becoming more pervasive in our romantic and sexual lives, and we’re beginning to have a better understanding of the role of sex tech in our relationships and sexual experiences.” She also noted, “we’re seeing that the incorporation of technology – and sex tech specifically – also has the capacity to enhance, expand, and improve individual well-being and the well-being of human relationships.”

The Future of Sex is a podcast, event, media outlet, and online community founded by sex tech expert Bryony Cole.  She’s developed an app called Wheel of Foreplay, a game that encourages intimacy. In an interview with Hive Life, Bryony believes that sex tech is needed now more than ever, and there’s a massive increase in popularity. Previously, it wasn’t uncommon for women to own a small bullet vibrator, but now they are more open to buying a second and third vibrator, with different features like clitoral sucking abilities.

Curious about sex tech?  Here are a few of the latest and greatest innovations:

Virtual Reality

I was at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas 11 years ago.  Amongst the line-ups and photo-ops of adult film stars, there was a booth where you could test out sex virtual reality.

I walked up to the booth, sat in a lazy boy, and put on the VR goggles. The scenario was like being in a hotel room with a couple having sex, as I stood over their bed watching them. It felt more real than the porn you watch online and very voyeuristic.

The technology is much more realistic than it was over a decade ago. VR can now provide the sensation of touch and is becoming more immersive. You can connect with real participants in the virtual world or interact with fictional characters. There are also virtual reality sex websites where you download different scenarios.

Recent innovations have sex toys that connect with a VR scenario, like mechanical strokers or an oral simulator. You would put on the VR goggles, and it’s like a person is performing oral while the toy gives you the physical sensations. This first-person perspective has come a long way since the voyeuristic view I tried out years ago.

Sex Bots

Have you met Harmony? Let me introduce you.

Harmony is a life-sized, realistic-looking doll developed by Realbotix. Maybe realistic isn’t the best way to describe her. She has very large breasts and an unnaturally tiny waist. Think Barbie but with a self-lubricating vagina.

She can tell jokes, remember your birthday and talk about your favorite hobbies. She’ll smile, blink, frown, and can even get jealous. She has a gyrator that will make her hips move as well as a sensor system that will trigger her to moan in pleasure. They have also developed a male version too, named Henry. For just $12K, you can have this 6-foot tall sex bot that will recite poetry to you. You can pick his penis, so it suits your liking.   

Several other sex tech companies have started creating their own sex bots. These dolls are said to allow people to explore sexual fantasies, even those considered taboo.  There are conflicting views of sex bots. Some believe that it can do more harm than good when it comes to intimacy with another person and can create unrealistic expectations and a lack of boundaries.

Tech-Savvy Sex Toys

The CES is the “global stage for innovation” -  it’s an expo, convention, and learning platform where the latest in products in technology are released. Sex toys have always had their place at the event, tucked in with the health, wellness, and lifestyle section. At CES 2020, the sex toys did not disappoint.  

One was a lube warmer and dispenser. It looks like a lamp with a sensor under it. You put your hand under it, and it will squirt out warm lube. No more fumbling for the bottle in the heat of the moment or putting cold lube on when you were just getting hot and bothered.

The second item that got a lot of attention was a strapless strap-on. No more uncomfortable harnesses or misfitting strap-ons. The woman doing the penetrating inserts the small end of the device inside and then can adjust the size for a snug fit using the deflatable and inflatable blub. The person being penetrating also enjoys the pleasure of a vibrating dildo. 

The male masturbator cups has come a long way and is incredibly realistic. Some, like the one from Tracy’s dog, has a realistic 3D textured and ribbed tunnel and the shape is modeled after a real vagina. It is made from soft, high-quality body-safe material that has a skin-like feeling. With a bit of lube, these advanced pocket pussy’s feel just like the real thing.

Sex tech allows people to experiment and experience new levels of pleasure. It has allowed long-distance relationships to enjoy heightened intimacy and couples to spice up their sex lives. Even if a sex bot is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of innovative toys and services bound to satisfy different sexual appetites. It’s time to re-think tech in sex and embrace the orgasmic innovation available. Sex tech is The Future of Sex.




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