Sextech
Latest
A first-hand quest for the future of sex
Over the past two months, I've been intimately involved with a series of machines. On a mission to find the future of sex, I've masturbated into a crowdfunded sex sleeve, been transported into a porn star's anus and quite literally fucked myself. On Friday, I reached my final destination. I can now say that it is a clumsy, unremarkable future. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts. This is the first in a two-part series exploring the future of sex. To read the conclusion, click here at your own risk.
Sex censorship breeds a fetish-focused social network
She lay back on a tan leather chaise lounge in a luxury suite in a Las Vegas hotel, a VR headset covering her eyes, surrounded by strangers and coworkers. She squirmed with embarrassment, screamed, giggled and covered her already-obstructed eyes. Engadget's Director of Production, Heather Frank, was experiencing the future of pornography firsthand, and I captured it all for posterity. When I went to add the video to my collection of #VRPorn reaction posts, I did what any socially responsible millennial would and asked our hosts for their Instagram handle. As it turns out, Instagram was a touchy subject.
Sex is back at CES
For years CES shared the Las Vegas Convention Center with the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE). But when AEE decided to reschedule its show in 2012, the biggest tech show on earth lost its adult edge. That is, until this year. Over the course of three days, I met with four companies showcasing sex-related products in and around the show.
Sex-robot maker says you probably won't own his machines
David Levy, author of Love and Sex with Robots and sensual chatbot champion, claims that sex with humanoid companions will be routine by 2050. Self-proclaimed futurologist, Dr. Ian Pearson recently took that declaration one step further in a report created in conjunction with UK sex shop Bondara, saying human-robot sex will start to eclipse old-fashioned human-on-human sex that same year. If all of that wasn't enough to get you hot and bothered about who or what will be handling your genitals in the not-so-distant future, consider the words of futurist Stowe Boyd who posited that sex robots will be a socially derided mainstay just 10 years from now. While the sex robot fantasy has existed for more than a century, the conversation around our future fuck buddies has reached fever pitch of late due to the "Campaign Against Sex Robots," a "movement" covered widely by the mainstream media that takes on Levy's assertion that our robo-sex future is bright. Dr Kathleen Richardson and Erik Billing of De Montfort University claim that these "robots are potentially harmful and will contribute to inequalities in society." We sat down with one of the men working to bring your Stepford fantasies to life at CES 2016. Matt McMullen, founder of RealDoll, says there are far more dangerous AI applications in the works, and believe it or not, he's not looking to create an army of sex bots to replace flesh-and-blood partners. Check out our discussion for more insights from the front lines of the next sexual revolution.
