The Blowjob Library

The porn industry has always had an eye out for the future. Being an early adopter when it comes to implementing emerging technologies, the adult entertainment industry has pioneered everything – from e-commerce to (virtual reality) streaming video. So let us consider the latest trend in the industry: BlowCast, a marketplace for user-reviewed, teledildonic-assisted oral sex.

The company was founded by webcam platform CamSoda, and is striving to corner the market with their virtual on-demand oral simulations. BlowCast allows its users to enter their library, where they are introduced to a selection of both amateur and professional cam girls. The blowjob library currently consists of 16 different women, each with three different signature offerings available for $1 each. The oral simulations come with evocative names like “All In,” “Firm & Fair,” “Earthquake,” “Nooner,” and “Bring’em thunder,” and range from five to 31 minutes.

Here is how it works. The cam models offer simulated blowjobs by giving one to a Kiiroo Pearl; a hacked vibrator that collects sensory data while the model fellates the device. This data is collected in the library where the user is invited to select a blowjob based on the model. Users can rank the blowjobs with a “thumbs up” and “thumbs down,” and cautiously spend their dollars based on other users’ reviews. On the customer-side of things, the user implements a smart “sleeve” which translates the sensory data replicates it in the sleeve. When connected to a video stream, it simulates the experience of receiving a blowjob from that particular model.

Source: Motherboard

The Open-Sourced Dildo

The importance of free software isn’t limited to technology; the open-source movement is currently evolving to include more intimate areas of our lives. Last year the Multivibrating Open-Source Dildo (MOD) was launched after a successful crowdfunding campaign. This hackable sex toy is programmed via a modified Arduino-based board and can react to any sensor you plug in to it. Next to that, it is USB rechargeable.

The MOD is the brainchild of tech company Comingle, and is indented to become fully customizable. By implementing a customized Arduino board, this sex toy is capable of interfacing with just about anything. From responding to literature to syncing it with your partner’s heartbeat to pulsating along the lines of your Twitter feed, the MOD can do that. It even works with a brain-sensing headband that gets you off with thought alone.

While The MOD comes with its very own vibration patterns, the user can design new ones on their website or code their own completely unique patterns, and share them online with friends. A stranger may soon build the best feature yet. Besides that, Comingle provides a so-called OSSex library, where the sex-hacking community can exchange and critique their sensor and hacking combos.

The MOD appears to succeed in bringing sex-positive hacking to the mainstream –and build a supportive community around it. So whether you feel you are doomed to a solitary life, or just want to make your sexual experiences better, note there are hackable technologies in the world to help a hand.

Source: Core77

Driven by Erotic E-Books

There is a new smart sex toy in town, or should we say intelligent? The Vibease is the self-proclaimed “first wearable smart vibrator” that syncs with steamy literature and can be operated via an app. Finally you can enjoy Fifty Shades of Grey the way it was truly intended.

The company currently offers over 500 erotic audiobooks that automatically sync with the teledildonic. Besides that, Vibease allows anyone to publish their erotic fiction to their internal marketplace. Some of the most popular titles include ‘Fifty Shades of Gael’, ‘The Lingerie Store’ and ‘Pounded’, with more then 10.000 downloads each.

Vibease describes the device as “an immersive pleasure experience” as it stimulates not only your body but also your mind. As you listen, the device is synced with the audio and pulses at the key moments in the story. “Imagine listening to Fifty Shades of Grey, when the voice says ‘I’m touching you softly,’ it vibrates softly and when the voice says ‘I’m touching you hard’, it vibrates hard. Like in the real intimacy, the user will experience surprises and anticipation.” It’s the complete non-boyfriend experience.

Since the device is remotely controlled, it also lets you record your partner’s voice and customize vibration levels accordingly. It even offers of the option of video calls within the app, so each partner can see the other’s face during playtime. Sexting just got a whole lot realer.

Source: Daily Mail

Cocks Not Glocks

Sex toys can be revolutionary, too. This summer hundreds of Texas students demonstrated against the “campus carry” law, which went into effect starting 1 August 2016. The new law permits licensed gun owners aged 21+ to carry concealed handguns at UT Austin and other public universities. By means of protesting, students brought thousands of rubber dildos to the campus, turning sex toys into political weapons of agency.

The Cocks Not Glocks rally took place at the same location where Charles Whitman shot and killed 14 people at The University of Texas in Austin on 1 August 1966. Under the motto “Fighting absurdity with absurdity,” the protestors highlight the ridiculous nature of the new law, as this went into effect on the 50th anniversary of the massacre. Reportedly the protest has distributed over 5.000 dildos, donated by sex shops.

The Campus (Dildo) Carry movement started when in 2015 Governor Greg Abbott signed approval of SB11, or the “campus carry” law. Jessica Jin, a UT alumnus organized an “ironic” protest to mock the apparent absurdity of weapons being allowed on campus, but regulates the displaying of obscene items. In less than 36 hours, over 1.700 students pledged to attend the protest and #CocksnotGlocks went viral.

Campus carry has opened a seemingly deep political fault. Faculty members have resigned over the law, whereas a gun-rights group staged a fake mass shooting in Austin to demonstrate their belief that so-called “gun-free zones” are the initial problem that makes mass shootings so lethal. This makes us wonder if cocks can bring down governments?

Source: The Guardian

Wake Up with an Orgasm

If an orgasm won’t get you up in the morning, nothing will. This is the basic premise of the Little Rooster S, the vibrator-alarm clock hybrid for women that takes intimate technology to a whole new level. Never before was snoozing that much fun.

The original Little Rooster was first introduced in 2011, but ran out of stock after garnering a great amount of media attention. Therefore the company behind the contraption is back with an updated model that is currently available for pre-order. Priced at £69.00, “You wake slowly. Sensually. Pleasurably.” The small plastic device is to be worn inside the underwear, but outside the body. The user can adjust the alarm clock by choosing for 30 “snorgasm” power levels –of which 27 are silent– for precision pleasure. The device will begin to vibrate at the specified time, and gradually increases to the user’s selected level of intensity. Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The everyday vibrator-alarm isn’t for solely morning purposes. “I wore it during romantic dinners, set to go off during dessert as we sat watching the sun set over the beach,” one customer said. “I think the waiters must have thought I hadn’t had a creme brûlée in months!” Moreover, sex trainer Charlotte Rose says she believes this could help women suffering from certain sexual issues. “This looks like a great little device for women who may be suffering from low libido due to natural events such as menopause.”

A similar device for both men and women was introduced in 2015, called the Dream Rooster, but after an unsuccessful crowdfunding campaign, the erotic dream simulator never came about.

Source: Daily Mail

Simulate Love with a Smart Sex Doll

We are well educated when it comes to finding love using websites and apps, and we do not hesitate to pay for these services. And then there are sex dolls. No longer made from inflatable materials but from high-end silicone, and market leader RealDoll is integrating emerging technologies and AI to make you fall in love with her. Are technologies contributing to the commodification of women?

In August during a Reddit AMA, RealDoll CEO Matt McMullen revealed some of his plans regarding the future of his product and the invasion of sex robots. He is currently developing RealBotix, an AI system that will be compatible with a robotic doll or experienced in a VR environment. “I think the sex industry is headed for the integration of a LOT of new technology […] AI and VR, to name a couple. Teledildonics as well.” he said. “Smart dolls are the logical next step.”

RealDoll was founded in 1997 and has sold over 5.000 life-size dolls, with prices ranging from $5.000 to $10.000. His new dolls will build on the Real Doll formula –you basically only purchase the head– but will be extended with a ”customizable programming of personality.” In an early teaser for the project we meet one the new dolls Harmony, who describes herself as “a prototype of a very exciting new form of adult companionship.”

When during the AMA someone asked whom McMullen’s biggest completion was, he simply responded “human females.” However, he doesn’t want people to think of his dolls as human alternatives, rather catalysts of an intimate future, one that involves plastic, metal, and a smartphone.

Source: Mirror

The First Sex Toy for Trans Men

Over the last decade the sex toy industry gain more mainstream acceptance, thereby growing into a $15 billion market segment, with the expectation to surpass the $50 billion by 2020. Unfortunately this market fails to provide for gender-transitioning men, therefore trans activist and entrepreneur Buck Angel has created a sex toy designed specifically for the female-to-male (FTM) trans community.

The so-called Buck Off is a masturbation aid made for people who have transitioned or are currently transitioning. The shape of the toy is designed to be more comfortable for those experiencing the effects of testosterone as part of their transition, including the enlarging of their genitals. While the Buck Off resembles other masturbation sleeves in its basic design, this model is shorter and wider than other sleeves and can create suction. This allows the overcoming of gender dysphoria, which might arise in using other toys.

The device, which is distributed by male sex toy manufacturer Perfect Fit presents a radical entry into the sex toy industry, broadening the horizons beyond strap-ons and slings. Made from Perfect Fit’s ultra-soft SilaSkin™ the Buck-off is said to be “so pleasurable to touch it is addictive.” Steve Callow, Perfect Fit CEO responded, “Our philosophy has always been to make products to enhance the sexual experience, and Buck believes this toy will help transmen explore their bodies and be more confident in their sexuality. That’s all we needed to hear, and we are proud to be associated with Buck on this project.”

Angel believes that his product can help validate trans male identities, and has high hopes for his tool becoming an educational aid to help trans men connect with their bodies. The Buck Off has only been available for purchase for two weeks, but satisfied customers are already voicing their gratitude.

Source: Vice

A Robotic Rectal Teaching Assistant

Keeping in mind the second most common cancer in men is prostatic adenocarcinoma, it should come as no surprise that men are not lining up to volunteer for medical training purposes, as the first step of a doctor’s diagnosis is inserting the index finger into the anus. Therefore, a group of scientists at Imperial College London developed a robotic rectum that helps train doctors and nurses to perform rectal examinations by accurately recreating the feel of a rectum, while providing computer feedback on their examination technique.

The Rectal Teaching Assistant (RTA) was presented at the Eurohaptics conference earlier this summer and is currently being adapted for gynecological exams, too. The prosthetic contains small robotic arms that apply pressure to the silicone rectum, to recreate the shape and feel of the back passage. At the same time the device is tracking the medical examiner’s finger position in real-time. A computer screen behind the device can display a 3D model of the rectum and prostate, allowing the doctor, with the aid of 3D glasses, to see the anatomy while they perform the examination.

Dr. Fernando Bello from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London said, “Because the examinations occur in the body, the trainer cannot see what the trainee is doing, and vice versa.” Other prosthetic rectums are available, including one from the US with pressure sensors, named Patrick. However according to Bello, none of these give such a realistic feel to trainees. Due to the intimate nature of the examination, one could argue the robotic device teaches the medical students a crash course in “professional intimacy”.

Robotic rectums are just the latest implementation of emerging technologies, paving the way to recreate realistic sensations in other fields such as teledildonics. While it might seem creepy at first, it wouldn’t hurt to get to the bottom of it.

Source: Imperial College London

Hacking the Internet of Vibrating Things

Earlier this month a woman took her ‘smart’ vibrator to federal court, filing a class action lawsuit against Premium Sensual Lifestyle Products manufacturer Standard Innovations. The woman accused the company for collecting and transmitting her intimate data, including her email address and the vibration settings she used, without her consent.

In 2014, Standard Innovations enabled their “We-Vibe” vibrators to connect with smartphones by means of Bluetooth, “allowing couples to keep their flame ignited – together or apart.” This simultaneously enabled sexual partners to handle one another’s product at a distance. However, at the 2016 DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas, two researchers revealed flaws in the software that controls the device, making it possible to remotely seize control of the vibrator and activate it at will.

The researchers—known as followr and g0ldfisk—discovered besides the amount of data transmitted back to the manufacturer, the temperature of the device was monitored and broadcasted in real-time. In a statement, Standard Innovations said the collected data is solely being used for “diagnostic purposes”. Nevertheless, the streaming of this data presents a number of risks to users. According to followr, “A lot of people in the past have said it’s not really a serious issue, but if you come back to the fact that we’re talking about people, unwanted activation of a vibrator is potentially sexual assault.”

The Internet of Things (IoT) promised connectivity to a broad variety of objects, ranging from health innovations to consumer electronics including (sex) toys; basically any object, person or animal could be assigned an IP address and transfer data over a network. While companies’ ability to collect user information to store and sell is nothing new, the We-Vibe revelation demonstrates this could lead to forms of virtual rape.

As Neil Gross so perfectly envisioned the IoT in 1999, he stated, “In the next century, planet earth will don an electronic skin. It will use the Internet as a scaffold to support and transmit its sensations.” His claim forecasted future technologies to ultimate precision, in which vibration modes like PULSE, WAVE and CHA CHA CHA are sensations you don’t necessarily share with a third party. Welcome to the Internet of Vibrating Things.

Sources: Vocativ, The Guardian