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The controversial sex toy that shook up CES 2019 is finally ready
Osé, the sex toy that received a CES Innovation Award, lost it, and then won it back again, is finally ready to pre-order. The device sparked a debate about gender bias in the tech industry and what can, and cannot, be exhibited at the world's biggest tech trade show. Now, a year on from making headlines across the world, the device is finally available for pre-order.
CES re-awards revoked robotics prize to women's sex toy
There was outrage and disbelief earlier this year when the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) -- the organization behind the major CES annual tech show -- revoked its Robotics Innovation Award from women's sex toy Osé.
CES might be the home of tech, but not all gadgets are welcome
Lora Haddock was disappointed, sad and frustrated when she was notified that the CTA had decided to rescind an award for a personal massager made by her company, Lora DiCarlo. The Ose, which the company touts as the "world's first hands-free device for the holy grail of orgasms" had been selected as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Robotics and Drone category. But barely a month later, according to emails Lora DiCarlo provided to press, the committee took it back.
Teledildonics gave me the gift of long-distance sex with a stranger
On an otherwise normal Friday afternoon in late March, I found myself sitting on my bed, completely naked in front of my laptop. It was a position I'd been in many times before, but today was different: I was getting ready for the most awkward tech demo of my career.
The truth about sex robots: Panic, pleasure and a candlelit dinner
Dr. Oz isn't happy about the future of sex. The day I'm scheduled to appear on his show, the television physician and Oprah protege has assembled a cast of victims and villains that includes a college communications major who caught chlamydia from a Tinder date; a 24-year-old woman who was stabbed 21 times by the fiance she met online; and Douglas Hines, a cartoonish engineer donning a white lab coat and outsize bowtie, who claims to have created the world's first sex robot. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
There’s no limit to the connected sex toys you can build at home
NSFW: This article contains links to and descriptions of explicit sexual acts including BDSM play that some may find uncomfortable. The individuals included in this report are consenting adults who observe proper safety procedures in their play. The voice-enabled Mistress Alexa may be Deviant Designs' most famous creation yet, but it's only one of a fleet of smart sex toys that its creators have dreamed up. British couple Gary and Kirsty are building new smart devices for BDSM play on a monthly basis. Thanks to Arduino hardware and a 3D printer, there are few limits to what can be achieved with a little practice. I toured some of the other adult toys made in the last year.
Meet the dominatrix living inside an Echo Dot
NSFW: This article contains links to and descriptions of explicit sexual acts including BDSM play that some may find uncomfortable. The individuals included in this report are consenting adults who observe proper safety procedures in their play. A dining room table in a quiet British town is the birthplace of one of the most interesting developments in sextech. It's here where a hobbyist has built the world's first digital, voice-controlled dominatrix capable of delivering very real punishment, and she sounds weirdly familiar. Say hello to 'Mistress Alexa'.
Pornhub branches out into interactive sex toys
Before the sex robots take over, we still have time to get our rocks off with one another (and ourselves). And Pornhub is here to lend a hand, or an interactive sex toy, or three, to be precise. The largest pornography site on the net has been syncing its interactive adult movies with the Fleshlight Launch and Kiiroo's Onyx since June, and now it's adding its own, brand-spanking new haptic toys (the Virtual Rabbit, Virtual Blowbot Turbo Stroker, and Virtual Blowbot Stroker) to the list.
Artgasm turns the female orgasm into a literal work of art
The female orgasm can be elusive, but at CES 2018, sexual-health startup Lioness managed to capture and immortalize them as works of art. The art is based on information gleaned from volunteers who have used its $229 bio-sensing vibrator, which started shipping in August. The mini exhibit was in Las Vegas to drum up awareness for both the Lioness brand and women's sexual-health issues, particularly how we orgasm. It was shown in a limited preview last year at the Mothership music festival, and Lioness hopes to eventually add more pieces and take the exhibit to galleries all over the country.
BDSM 2.0: Castration and extortion in the digital age
It's a mild but muggy September day in Beverly Hills, California, when Harley and I meet at her new neighborhood nail salon. Today, the 6-foot-tall Silicon Valley expatriate is dressed in a leatherlike jumpsuit so short and low-cut that it feels like a mere suggestion of clothing. A shock of magenta hair frames the constellation of stars tattooed across her left temple. Her unnaturally plump lips are so glossy and brightly colored they almost look lacquered. She wears platform boots to accentuate her already-imposing frame. An assortment of colorful, outsize tattoos runs the length of her seemingly infinite limbs. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
RealDoll's first sex robot took me to the uncanny valley
During my four-hour visit to the birthplace of the RealDoll, the frighteningly life-like full-body sex toy, I've seen mounds of silicone vaginas, sheets of detached nipples, headless women hanging from meat hooks, a 2-foot penis and skulls with removable faces that attach like refrigerator magnets. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts
Kanye West, incest and Twitter's First Amendment conundrum
NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts. On Nov. 11th, 2014, Kim Kardashian's ass broke the internet. Her iconic posterior, photographed by Jean-Paul Goude, graced the cover of Paper magazine and became an instant meme. Like a pillow-y flesh bomb, Kardashian's butt exploded into a firestorm of praise and disgust. The New York Times warned of the perils of a massive ass, while social networks and daytime talk shows teemed with hot takes about the young mother's butt.
One frightening live sex show and the state of 360 video
NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts. A woman with an enormous, warped vagina stands over you, attempting to situate a pair of naked coeds just so on an overstuffed sectional. Their faces distort and sporadically disappear as they pleasure each other and themselves. Their movements are sometimes smooth, sometimes staccato, like a couple of gyrating marionettes on Ecstasy. They moan with pleasure and talk dirty to no one in particular, but their mouths don't move.
Robots, VR and the future of male masturbators
In my time as a human with a penis, I've penetrated more inanimate objects than I care to admit. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
A viral VR sex suit and what it says about us
He'd had a terrible morning and an even worse afternoon. Exhausted by human interaction, Roger returned home, eager to slam a beer, throw on his bathrobe and lie back in his big leather recliner while Rhonda gave him one of her signature hand jobs. Unfortunately, Rhonda was programmed to make him dinner that night and, anticipating his mood, readjusted her earlier, more optimistic projections for the day's outcome.
The massively multiplayer online role-playing orgy I never had
It was supposed to be my first orgy. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
The curious sext lives of chatbots
ELIZA is old enough to be my mother, but that didn't stop me from trying to have sex with her. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.
Ghosting redefined
They are our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our teachers, our students, our bankers, our janitors, the bathroom attendant, the perfume-counter girl, the porn star, the preacher. They are the right-wing nut job, the Left Shark and the guy in the middle seat. There's no discernible difference between us and them. In fact, there's a good chance you're one of them. They are ghosts -- or so we've been told.
The incredibly sad world of niche dating apps
When I exited the market in 2006, online dating was akin to wearing sweatpants in the club. It was a sign that you'd given up on the "real" world; a symbol of existential surrender.
A first-hand quest for the future of sex, Part 2: Mission diverted
I'd just returned from CES, where it was obvious that sex and tech were finally coming together. Despite my rather unfortunate experiences weeks prior, I was feeling inspired. That's when Kiiroo came into my life. Like a serendipitous orgasm harbinger, it promised to take my "sex life to new heights" through teledildonics. Teledildonics is the sex industry's contribution to the Internet of Things, allowing users to remote control vibrators and sex sleeves, sync those toys to VR videos, interact with an adult cam star in real-time, "feel" a long-distance lover and, as I'd come to discover, bring new meaning to one of my favorite internet initialisms: GFY. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts. This is the conclusion of a two-part series exploring the future of sex. To read the first installment, click here at your own risk.
