Welcome to the era of Sextech. This newly-minted phrase represents a host of innovative and exciting opportunities for melding sexual desire and satisfaction with virtual reality, blurring the lines between what is actually real, and what just feels real.
Virtual Reality and SexTech: The Future is Now
We have smart toasters that know just how we like our morning snacks and refrigerators that know when the milk has gone sour. Smart devices are everywhere from our living rooms to our bedrooms (nod to Alexa).
Fact is, it was only a matter of time before smart devices and technology were adopted by the largest industry on the planet: the sex industry.
Porn, sex toys, lingerie, and the like are taking a backseat to what promises to be one of the most innovative, exciting (and sometimes controversial) challenges to societal norms: virtual sex.
Technology is now being leveraged to both augment and enhance the sexual experience, with a real partner, sex doll, or entirely in virtual reality.
Despite being a new product category/market, virtual sex-related sales of products, VR Porn, virtual reality games, headsets, connected sex devices and sex dolls have skyrocketed, with more individuals (and couples) welcoming technology into the bedroom.
VR and Sex Doll Integrations
Photo credit: https://sexdollgenie.com/collections/newest-products/products/elfriede-165-cm-5-5-d-cup-hybrid-silicone-head-tpe-body
More than Sex Bots
For decades science fiction writers have teased us with the idea of self-aware, humanoid robots—in sometimes sexual and titillating ways. Although we haven’t quite reached Westworld-Esq technology, the sex dolls of today could quite easily pass for human at first glance.
Granted, the first sex dolls were a bit … creepy. Although human-like, something was definitely off about them.
Those days are gone—long gone. Today, ultra-realistic sex dolls can be custom ordered in virtually any shape, size, and ethnicity your little or big head desires. There are even novelty and fetish dolls for those who want to hook up with an anime character, elf, alien, and more.
But that’s not even the most interesting part. Sex dolls are now interactive and being connected to virtual reality, offering a truly unique and immersive experience that you feel with all of your senses, bringing to life an endless treasure trove of sexual fantasies and desires.
Take, for example, sex dolls such as Marvella, an AI sex doll who loves foreplay, cuddling, and kidding, just like a real woman. This VR Sex Doll can have the conversation of a real woman and can talk to you about anything from sex to science. This robot has a background management system that allows you to program some of the dolls content. She can then use it to interact with you during sex.
Marvella also has sensors in her hands, genitals, heads, and breasts that will help the doll “feel” and respond to your touch.
She even has a heating system that will simulate the human temperature so she feels warm to the touch!
Harmony, an internet-connected, VR compatible sex doll from RealDoll (a leading creator of ultra-real silicone sex dolls) is another example of a hi-tech sex doll. Harmony is app-connected, compatible with not only virtual and augmented reality, but also ideal for personalized porn, and smart sex toys such as Wi-Fi-connected stimulators, vibrators, and massagers.
A Safe Way (and Place) to Explore and Push Boundaries using VR Sex Dolls
Although ethical conundrums abound, having sex with a sex doll while immersed in the throes of a virtual world and scenario enables people to live out their wildest sexual desires in a safe space and without harming themselves or others.
It also offers a safe place for those interested in consensual BDSM, role-playing, and more to enjoy and try out without the risk of feeling awkward, nervous or judged. These experiences may even enable or empower individuals to open up a dialogue with their sexual partners, allowing them to more effectively and more confidently express what they like or need to feel sexually gratified.
Sexual desire and enjoyment are on a broad spectrum and one that not everyone can enjoy. Anxiety, unwilling partners, lack of partners, seclusion, physical or mental conditions, and more all prevent millions of individuals from participating in fulfilling sexual experiences. VR aims to break down those barriers, offering an unprecedented opportunity to explore desire and try out new things in a way that is safe, comfortable, and enjoyable.
When combined with physical devices or sex dolls, these experiences are hyper-realistic, blurring the lines between reality and virtual reality in ways never before thought possible.
Realistic Sex Dolls Come to Life with VR
Just how realistic? How about sex dolls that mimic heartbeats and breathing? Or that can blink and move?
Yeah, that realistic. And it’s not science fiction.
Dolls from leading manufacturers and innovators such as RealDoll and Harmony are hitting digital store shelves now, with the ultimate goal of enabling sex dolls to intelligently communicate with you just like a real-life partner would.
With voice AI such as Alexa and Siri already here, and AI chatbots having demonstrated their ability to adapt personalities and carry conversations—we’re not far off—at all.
Combined with virtual reality, these life-like sex dolls open up a whole new medium for healthy sexual knowledge, experience, education, and expression.
Virtual Intercourse—with Real People?
Photo credit: https://sexdollgenie.com/collections/newest-products/products/maryalice-163cm-5-3-e-cup
Both cam sites and strip clubs are moving in an altogether interesting direction, adopting technology to enable their users to interact with models in new and exciting ways never before possible (all from the comfort of their own homes).
In virtual reality, patrons can pay for private back room sessions with real live strippers, augmenting reality and the senses with the use of a sex doll and/or connected toys. Similarly, some VR porn and cam sites now support virtual reality, enabling their users to have simulated sex in virtual reality, while physically being stimulated by connected toys or having sex with their sex doll.
Some sex dolls are even capable of what is called teledildonic transmission. In lay terms, these connected sex dolls transmit tactile data such as touch, pressure, and speed of motions (such as thrusting) to match that of the model’s vibrator or other sex toys and vice versa. With this type of capability, both participants feel the actions of the other in real life. According to CamSoda’s VP, Daryn Parker, “You’ll feel what the model is doing and she’ll feel what you’re doing.”
Although somewhat new, this type of sexual experience is growing rapidly in popularity, with avid porn consumers now able to have virtual sex sessions with some of their favorite porn stars in real-time.
The Future of Intimacy?
For some couples, yes.
The world is a smaller place than it once was, with dating apps giving singles access to a potential dating pool spanning the globe. While tantalizing and full of opportunity, this trend has resulted in an ever-increasing number of long-distance relationships.
According to data in a 2017 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, there is a real and significant connection between sexual activity and well-being, as well as the health of romantic relationships.
Countless studies have demonstrated the benefits of healthy and regular intimacy in relationships including the resulting emotional high, relief from stress, reduction in anxiety and depression, improvements in self-esteem and self-confidence, and better sleep.
Yet for those in long-distance relationships, the opportunity to explore each other’s bodies and be intimate has been limited to, well, phone sex. Even with the advent of FaceTime and video apps, getting down to getting down just isn’t that satisfying from afar.
But recent advancements in virtual reality and smart sex toys have made intimacy from afar a thing of reality, not science fiction.
With the right setups, couples can engage in a virtual space of their choosing, and when combined with connected smart toys, can even feel the touch of their partners, with sex toys adjusting to their partner’s motions in real-time.
Costs be Damned—How Much Will This Set You Back?
The first sex dolls were expensive, with early models costing upwards of five figures. However, improvements in technology reduced production costs and mass adoption have brought prices down (a lot).
Today’s sex dolls equipped with smart technology can go for as low as $800 up to $8000, offering a wide range of options and price points for consumers on all sorts of budgets to enjoy.
Those looking to take the experience to the next level with virtual reality will need to invest in a headset as well, although costs for VR have also gone down considerably, with models such as the Oculus Quest as low as $299.
What Does the Future Hold for VR and Sex Dolls?
The tip of the iceberg has only just breached the surface as far as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and sex dolls are concerned. The advent and integration of this technology into VR porn and sextech, and in the bedroom, has opened up a world of possibilities for healthy and fulfilling sexual expression, education, and even sex therapy applications.
The future looks incredibly bright for this new market, with innovations peeking around every corner.
Tags: Featured Posts
