SO, WHAT IS IT?
The Science Behind Pleasure
Let’s be honest; sex toys have been around since the stone age - literally. The first sex toy, a dildo, was found by a group of German scientists. To their surprise, it was a 20cm polished siltstone phallus around 28,000 years old.
Indeed, that is one very old dildo. It just goes to show you, our distant ancestors were also looking for ways to evolve past masturbation. They went down a rocky road to feel sexually satisfied (no pun intended).
Even back then, they weren’t feeling satisfaction by just using their hands. Since then, sex toys have evolved with different textures, materials, and uses.
But it wasn’t until a couple of decades ago when our sex toys were able to provide one crucial component to sex: connection. That’s where teledildonics come into play. And let’s just say the science of it is pretty amazing.
- What is Teledildonics?
- The Beginning of Teledildonics
- Teledildonics and Long-Distance Relationships
- Taking Porn to the Next Level
- The Future of Teledildonics
What is Teledildonics?
At Kiiroo, our sex toys are based on teledildonics. Which sounds pretty fancy, but what is it exactly? Also known as cyberdildonics, it is based on haptic technology, also known as 3D touch. It’s any technology that can create an experience for the user by applying vibrations, motion, or force.
As a teenager, maybe you played Nintendo, and depending on the game you played, your console would vibrate if you achieved a goal or were attacked by another player. That’s a basic example of how haptic technology is used.
Since then, haptic technology has evolved, even making its way into the adult industry. Today, haptic technology can do more than send a couple of vibrations through a gaming console. Now, it has the power to connect people in real-time when they’re miles apart. But how did this all start?
The Beginning of Teledildonics
In 1975, the term “dildonics” came to life by American tech pioneer Ted Nelson, who, at the time, was referring to remote sex that simulated realistic feelings of touch through computers connected to telephone lines.
Sure, his idea is a little dated now, but back then, it was a pretty advanced concept. Of course, now you don’t need to connect almost anything to a telephone line. Wait, who even has their own telephone line anymore?
Anyways, fast forward to 1990 when another tech pioneer, Howard Rheingold, continued to build off of Nelson’s work, coining the term “teledildonics.” Rheingold used it to describe high-tech sex toys that would allow users to connect via telecom networks across long distances. At the time, Rheingold had seen it as revolutionary and possibly changing how the entire world functions.
He said, “Thirty years from now, when portable telediddlers become ubiquitous, most people will use them to have sexual experiences with other people, at a distance, in combinations and configurations undreamed of by pre-cybernetic voluptuaries.”
Oh, and if you’re wondering what ‘telediddlers’ means, get ready for your mind to be wowed with amazement, or maybe even a little confused. Telediddler was a slang term for a Virtual Female Sensory Array. We’re still not sure how “telediddler” came to mind, but let’s get back to the point.
Rheingold’s vision of the future was a little different than how things are looking now. He envisioned users wearing sensor bodysuits allowing people to have long-distant affairs. And, to be honest, his vision isn’t that far off of what’s happening today in the adult industry.
Now, it is implemented in remote-controlled sex toys to even more complex ideas such as full bodysuits with gloves and headgear for sexual stimulation. But it hasn’t been until recently that it is flourishing in the industry, specifically targeting a special group of couples.
Teledildonics and Long-Distance Relationships
When it comes to long-distance relationships, most people cringe at the idea. For years, even when we’ve fallen hard for someone, the moment we find out there’s distance involved, we take a couple of steps back. Why? Because for anyone who’s had experience with a long-distance relationship, they’re fully aware of how much they suck.
Even Hollywood movies share the same feeling towards long-distance relationships. You don’t get to share your everyday lives together. Instead, you need to schedule video chats and live vicariously through social media. With time, unless you put a lot of effort into communicating electronically, you slowly drift apart and begin living completely separate lives.
Sure, things have changed, and long-distance relationships aren’t how they were in the 80s. And with the help of smartphones and apps like Whatsapp and Snapchat, couples in different time zones can connect with ease. But those apps still are missing a crucial component of connection: intimacy.
How long can a relationship last without a physical connection? There comes a moment in time when you start to crave touch. And once you start craving touch, unless you can control the urge, it’s only a matter of time until you begin to reevaluate your relationship. There are only so many lonely nights a person handles before they decide to call it quits.
When it comes to long-distance relationships, interactive sex toy manufacturers like Kiiroo needed to figure out what are the challenges facing long-distance couples. So, Kiiroo conducted a survey and examined the challenges long-distance relationship couples with keeping intimacy fresh and whether or not participants keep their relationships alive and well. It turns out, only 60 percent of long-distance relationships make it long-term.
Now, that’s not that bad, but those numbers can always be improved. In the survey, they also found that the lack of physical intimacy (66%) is the hardest part of being in a long-distance relationship, while another issue was the lack of sex (33%). Naturally, this just reconfirmed what we already knew. All relationships require physical touch and intimacy.
As Toon Timmermans, CEO of Kiiroo, said, “as the world becomes more and more digitally connected and we see ourselves drifting further and further apart, the adoption of technology to forge new and better ways to communicate has become imminent.”
Yes, couples can sext via Whatsapp or mutually masturbate over Skype, but they’re still missing a way to bring themselves closer together. But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. As Timmermans said, it can be used to connect with one another, meaning couples do have a way to overcome the challenges of distance.
Timmermans continues, “we forge new relationships online more now than ever before. From the results of this study, we see that technology in any shape or form is being used by long-distance relationships to feel closer, to feel loved, and to attempt help ease sexual tensions that may arise due to the distance.”
What Kiiroo managed to do was find a way to create the element of physical intimacy via technology. It’s been shown that long-distance sex toys are the only way to ease the tension of a lack of intimacy. For example, toys like the Onyx+ and Pearl2 couples set act as two separate toys that can be connected, interacting in unison together.
The Onyx+ is one sex toy for men that has a series of rings inside that send and receive tactile sensory information. It responds to the data by contracting and expanding. As a result, the Onyx+ makes the experience more realistic in comparison to any other male masturbator.
Now, though it can be used as a solo toy, the Onyx+ can be connected to the Pearl2+, which is hands down the most advanced female vibrator on the market. Not only is it powerful, but each of its five capacitive touch rings corresponds with the Onyx+ male masturbator. So if a couple is using the Onyx+ and Pearl2 together, they’ll be able to connect their devices and share an interactive sexual experience.
A big issue in the adult toy industry was the lack of variety for gay and lesbian couples. But in the case of Kiiroo, they offer couples sets for gay, straight, and lesbian couples. We’re living in the twenty-first century, and when it comes to sexuality, it’s fluid.
Regardless of your sexual orientation, you deserve intimacy with your partner. Cyberdildonics isn’t about pleasing one group of people; it’s about connecting people together.
But enough about couples; they’ve been well taken care of. It’s clear this technology plays an important and crucial role for couples maintaining intimacy in long-distance relationships. But, these high-tech toys aren’t just for long-distance couples.
Aside from the smart sex toys being used as a shared experience, these internet-connected sex toys can be used during solo pleasure as well, with users participating in interactive videos, games, and virtual reality. Whether someone is single or in a relationship, many rely on porn to fulfill their sexual needs.
Taking Porn to the Next Level
Let’s be honest; porn hasn’t really evolved over the past decades. You still have to search endlessly online for the clip you want to watch, and it’s still not interactive media for viewers. For people who enjoy porn, cyberdildonics can enhance the user experience, and connect users with the cam models they watch.
For example, you want to watch your favorite cam model online. How can you feel apart of the show and engage in the performance? And we mean other than posting, “you’re so sexy,” comments onto the chat. There has to be something better out there.
Through cyberdildonics, specifically with Kiiroo’s toys, viewers can provide their cam model a sex toy that they can control as the customer. The viewer can control the toy’s depth, speed, and sensations when being used by the model.
In other words, they’re able to take control as they receive pleasure more engagingly.
That’s right; the viewer can literally do more than just sit and watch. It makes the viewer feel apart of the experience and less like a viewer.
But not everyone enjoys interacting with cam models. When it comes to sexual needs, everyone varies, and cyberdildonics provides users with a variety of options. Aside from connecting with cam models, users can engage in virtual reality and interactive games and videos. And that’s what sex is about, having the choice to decide and follow through on what makes you aroused.
Whether it’s having long-distance sex with your partner or playing a sexual virtual reality game after coming home from a long day at work. People are looking for a connection even if it’s while watching porn, and this is what it has done to the adult toy industry.
The Future of Teledildonics