Smart Sex Toys - Now it’s even more fun to switch your phone to ‘Vibrate’

3:52 pm Wednesday, 4^th November, 2015

SiteAdminChaz

Feeling a little disconnected when it comes to your sex life? Well, a number of companies think they have the answer - sex toys that can be controlled from your smartphone.



With items ranging from light bulbs to watches now “connected" and wearable tech being all the rage, it was perhaps only natural that vibrators followed suit. The idea isn’t exactly new. As far back as 2005, a vibrator known simply as “The Toy” offered the ability to pair with a smartphone and translate incoming text messages into sexy stimulation. But today’s products offer a much wider range of sensations and interactivity.



Vibease, sort of the spiritual successor of The Toy, is a wearable, waterproof Bluetooth vibrator. The company’s focus is on solo fun, by creating “immersive pleasure experiences” through audio-vibratory “fantasies” -- think sexy audiobooks that match the vibrations to the action -- downloadable through an online store. Vibease can also be directly controlled by the user, or by a partner through their smartphone from anywhere in the world.



If foreplay is more your thing, check out the Fundawear project from condom maker, Durex. It’s not for sale yet, (dagnammit), but the matched set of his-and-hers underwear with tactile feedback looks like a million dollar idea. Embedded at strategic points in the fabric are small actuators, the same kind that create pulses of haptic feedback in a smartphone. Use your phone to load up the app, then run your finger across the image on the screen -- your partner will feel a corresponding buzz of good vibrations.



Once you’re all worked up and ready to strip down even further, you and your faraway partner may want to reach for your LovePalz. These toys come closest to simulating real sex via remote signals. It comes in two models: the Zeus for males, and the Hera for females. Each one is made of thick silicone skin actuated by air pressure. That allows LovePalz to create, and respond to, a wide range of pressure, motion, and other sensations, which will have you praising the Gods.



Without being too graphic, here’s how it works: when…erm…’something’ is inserted into the tube-shaped Zeus, pressure sensors send signals to the Hera, which reacts with increased motion. Similarly, when the orifice of your choice grips the inflated silicon projection on the Hera, the pressure difference creates a corresponding change in pressure and motion within the silicon sheath inside the Zeus.



Suffice to say that when both partners use their devices simultaneously, there’s a feedback loop that -- in theory, at least -- makes them feel almost as connected as they would be in the flesh. Might be a great way to pass judgment on potential hook ups before you meet - hmmm…is this the future?



We-Vibe sells several devices that connect your smartphone with aspects such as vibrations that can be controlled from your handset. It works over distance too, allowing someone in another location to control the sex toy. The app that is used to control the device also comes with a video-link feature allowing people to see each other too for that visual stimulation.



Between these products and others, like OhMiBod, the Internet is offering plenty of ways to get it on online while interacting directly with your partner. No doubt we’ll see other projects that expand the possibilities for sexual and romantic connection in even more creative and far-reaching ways.



The opportunity for these devices to take off could potentially be big. The global sexual wellness market, which includes the likes of condoms, lingerie and sex toys, is worth around $16 billion and set to reach $21 billion by 2019, according to research. And with firms jostling to get a slice of the action, we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

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