Page 66 - AVN June 2012

| By Sherri L. Shaulis
The Feel of the Future
Teledildonics, haptic technology are taking the pleasure products industry to a new level
As breakthroughs in technology have led to incredible
advancements in medicine, education and more, it’s no
surprise sex is the next frontier where technology will have a
major impact.
There was a time when phone sex operators were raking in the
cash. Those who were separated from their loved ones, or just had
problems for whatever reason with the social or physical niceties
needed for a live sexual encounter, could just offer up a credit card
number and for a few dollars a minute get their jollies. Even
couples who were separated by distance could get in on the fun,
having a little aural sex to ease the pain of being apart.
When smart phones came along with the ability to take pictures,
sexting entered the lexicon, and with it brought new possibilities
for phone sex: adding images and even short movies to the act.
But all that still paled in comparison to the real act of getting
down and dirty with a loved one. You could describe what certain
acts felt like, and maybe even throw in a vibrator or a masturbation
sleeve to up the ante a bit, but it still fell flat.
Now, long-distance lovers and the lonely guys of the world can
rejoice, because haptic technology and cyberdildonics (also known
as teledildonics) have brought electronics and battery-operated
devices together with the human desire for motion, vibration and
other sensations for even better sexual experiences.
High Joy and the Vstroker were among some of the first.
High Joy is a members-only website that allows couples to use
a variety of High Joy Enabled devices (the Doc Johnson iVibe
Controller with Egg and Comfort Sleeve among them) by
connecting them via a serial port to a computer with a Windows-
based operating system. A person on one end of the connection
controls the product on the other end. The stimulation can be
done one way, or two devices can be controlled simultaneously.
The technology is compatible with several online dating and
social networking sites including Match.com, eHarmony and
Facebook.
FEATURE
The Vstroker connects to a Fleshlight and monitors the speed of the user’s strokes. That data is wirelessly
transmitted to the user’s PC and simulated within the Vstroker-enabled content. The harder the user thrusts,
the more the girl on the screen reacts.
While these services do take online sexual stimulation to the next level, the introduction of haptic
technology really took things up a level.
Haptic technology, or haptics, is a tactile feedback technology which takes advantage of the sense of touch
by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user. Such devices have been used in flight training and in
NASA’s space program for training purposes, and found their way into video games as early as 1976. The
technology is commonplace in smart phones these days, but it wasn’t until recently that it was adapted for use
in pleasure products.
“Originally, the idea of using haptic technology was presented to AEBN and pitched as a great product to
interact with video content,” explained Scott Rinaldo, sales manager for the RealTouch, which is produced by
AEBN. “But we quickly saw the potential to also be able to go live with it, and provide a more organic
experience.”
The RealTouch is an award-winning interactive masturbator for men. It creates a web-based virtual sex expe-
rience using patented haptic technology that simulates the authentic warmth, moistness and relative motion in
thousands of adult videos. RealTouch synchs with programmed adult videos as well as live cam models so the
user can experience realistic oral, anal and vaginal sex with the world’s hottest performers. Users are feeling the
action, not just watching.
To date, there are more than 1,500 hardcore scenes programmed for use with the RealTouch. The unit,
which connects to a PC via USB port, has a top and bottom layer of textured silicone “skin” inside and an
adjustable orifice. Once connected and synched to the video content, the inner chamber squeezes, strokes,
warms and lubricates in tandem with the action on the screen.
While the RealTouch continues to do well, it still lacked that sense of intimacy and the ability to direct the
action. You can tell the girl in the coded content to move to the left all you want, but there is no way for that
response to happen. Or is there?
Earlier this year at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, RealTouch demonstrated the RealTouch Joystick, a
nonphallic device that houses a flexible circuit board underneath its outer coating, Rinaldo explained.
The RealTouch JoyStick is a remote control for RealTouch that a live webcam model uses to create internet
sex. The technology that makes the RealTouch JoyStick work is similar to that used on a touch-screen device.
Whatever the model does, the other use sees and feels.
“The JoyStick can sense when it’s being stroked, or squeezed, or whatever action is being performed,” he
said. “That then translates to the RealTouch device, and allows for the first-ever live internet sex.”
Remote Controlled Top right, the RealTouch
The RealTouch JoyStick relies on capacitive sensing technology. Capacitive touch sensors are used in many
booth at March’s International Lingerie Show;
devices such as laptop trackpads, digital audio players, computer displays, mobile phones, mobile devices,
tablets and others.
above, Mojowijo. >>64 | AVN.com | 6.12