“Tactile response teledildonics” isn’t exactly pillow talk, but it’s at the heart of CamSoda’s rather grim envisioning of the future of sex. The adult-entertainment webcam company has announced it will launch a new way to “experience virtual-reality interaction”, using VR headsets, cam girls and wearable technology.
Said wearable technology is, in fact, a dildo. Or a “sleeve”, if you have a penis. The idea is that sensors embedded in the dildo are able to feel pressure and relay it to corresponding sections of the sheath. This is used in combination with a virtual-reality headset, which will show the person you are having virtual sex with.
The feedback process between the dildo and the sleeve (an Aesop’s fable that never made the final cut) goes both ways. As well as setting off pulsations in the male masturbator, the dildo will get feedback regarding speed and intensity. It may be a reduction of the sexual act, but at least both parties get to feel something.
Where the VR sex gets mired in sexual, capitalistic politics is in its relation to CamSoda’s business – cam girls. Simulating intercourse without any palpable sense of physical autonomy arguable intensifies the objectification of CamSoda’s workers – arguably reducing their bodies to a few electronically induced spasms, paid for by customers on the site.
“Combining both wearable technology and virtual reality only further establishes CamSoda as the leader in adult entertainment innovation,” said Daron Lundeen, president of CamSoda, in a statement. “We want to provide our users with a unique experience that constantly stimulates their imagination.”
Sexual politics aside, CamSoda’s VR/wearable sex venture starts on 1 August, and can be used with Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
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