Teledildonics (also known as "cyberdildonics") is real or fictional technology for remote sex (or, at least, remote mutual masturbation), where tactile sensations are communicated over a data link between the participants. The term can also refer to the integration of telepresence with sexual activity that these interfaces make possible — the term was coined in 1975 by Ted Nelson[1] in his book Computer Lib / Dream Machines.
The term has also been used less accurately (since there's no "tele-" element) to refer to robotic sex, i.e. computer controlled sex toys that aim to substitute for or improve upon sex with a human partner.[2][3] Promoters of these devices have claimed since the 1980s they are the "next big thing" in cybersex technology.[4] A report in the Chicago Tribune in 1993 suggested that teledildonics was "the virtual-reality technology that may one day allow people wearing special bodysuits, headgear and gloves to engage in tactile sexual relations from separate, remote locations via computers connected to phone lines."[5]
Sex toys that can be manipulated remotely by another party are currently coming onto the market.[6] These toys sometimes come with movies to which the toys' actions are synchronized by means of a previously-written script. Other products being released fit a new category called bluedildonics, which allow a sex toy to be controlled remotely via a Bluetooth connection. A report in 2008 suggested that teledildonics, along with text and email and webcams, can be used to "wind each other up to fever pitch during the working day" as a prelude to sex with a human during the evening hours.[7] New technologies can help people establish "emotional connections" via the web.[8] Indeed, teledildonics technology has already been integrated with adult online webcam services and certain sex toys.[9]
A book reviewer of David Levy's Love and Sex with Robots in The Guardian in 2008 suggested that teledildonics was "but one stage in a technological and social revolution" in which robots will play an increasingly important role, with artificial lifeforms that will "attend to our needs with magic fingers"; Levy argued that by 2050 "sex with robots will be commonplace."[3] Some products have been shown at the Museum of Sex in New York City.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Nelson, Ted. "Curriculum Vitae: Theodor Holm Nelson".
- ^ Stein, Joel "Will cybersex be better than real sex?" Time magazine, June 19, 2000. Retrieved July 23, 2008
- ^ a b Stuart Jeffries (reviewer) David Levy (author) (10 May 2008). "Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships (book)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
we're in for a cybersexual revolution that will make the pill a negligible historical footnote.
- ^ Grossman, Anna Jane "Single, white with dildo." Salon, July 23, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008
- ^ David Rothschild (September 28, 1993). "High-tech Sex". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
- ^ Lynn, Regina "Ins and outs of teledildonics." Wired, September 24, 2004. Retrieved July 22, 2008
- ^ Stuart Jeffries (9 September 2008). "How has The Joy of Sex changed since 1972?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
... Text, email, webcams, teledildonics can all be used to wind each other up to fever pitch during the working day prior to extended evening action ...
- ^ Aleks Krotoski (6 February 2011). "What effect has the internet had on our sex lives?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
And the web is all about helping people establish emotional connections. Throw in some erotic imagery, augmented teledildonics technologies, or a bit of sexting or Skyping, and you have the makings of a rather extraordinary, albeit mediated, relationship.
- ^ "Teledildonics and Live Webcams". Webcam Reports. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "For Pleasure". Slate Magazine. 2011-02-08. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
At a small and private teledildonics demonstration on June 1, 2005, sex writer Violet Blue, while in San Francisco, induced two orgasms in her partner, who was riding a custom-made mega-vibrator known as a Thrillhammer at the Museum of Sex in New York City. The event included a few technical hitches: At one point the woman (shown here at a different demonstration) knocked an electrical cord out of the socket. It seems that teledildonics—remote-control vibrator sex via computer—has a long way to go.
External links
- Wired News: Reaching Through the Net to Touch
- Wired News: Ins and Outs of Teledildonics
- Reviews for several interactive sex toys from The Virtual Sex Review
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