INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
There an episode in the latest season of the Hulu original series Casual, where the main character, Alex, tries his hand at dating in
He quickly meets a woman and develops a big, adrenaline-inducing crush only to realize she a scammer out for his credit card information.
The season takes place around 2021 or 2022, when technological advances have made dating in VR both possible and socially acceptable.We&re
not there yet, and we probably won''t be there as soon as the writers of the show think, but it time to imagine and plan for a future when
entire relationships exist in and as a result of virtual reality.
Sextech entrepreneur and advocate Bryony Cole has built a career around
the assumption that a full pivot to VR will happen in our lifetimes.
She the chief executive officer of Future of Sex, a
podcast-turned-media company and sextech accelerator
Future of Sex has just released its inaugural report on virtual intimacy and plans to produce content on other topics at the intersection of
technology and sex.
Today, most people are more interested in Magic Leap new Angry Birds VR game than the ways in which VR can aid
struggling relationships, but the report is full of interesting nuggets on how tech, liketeledildonics (Internet-connected sex toys), is
transforming intimacy.
There a whole class of startups named in the report embracing the notion that human experiences can be improved when
powered by apps and devices
No, they aren''t advocating for you to bring your smartphone to the bedroom, but rather claiming that customizable tech can heighten the
senses or create new avenues for exploration.
Kissenger, for example, has a mobile app that lets you exchange a kiss over the Internet
Fleshlight and Lovense sellBluetooth-connected vibrators
And CamasutraVR streams virtual versions of real-life porn stars.
VR is the future of couples therapy
VR, Cole says, is a the forefront of
the sextech industry transformation and if used correctly, canbolster relationships.
It a new way for couples or thruples, or whatever
relationship you&re in, to bond,& Cole told TechCrunch
&The ability to empathize with another person is enriched in this context, which is great, especially for understanding a lover.
VR can
facilitate more meaningful interactions for couples in long-distance relationships
If used right, it can fill the &intimacy gap,& or the space between a couple shared happiness and an individual personal happiness that,
when too big, leads to many couple demise.
As a safe space for experimentation, two people can explore fantasies, engage witheducational
content and even visit a couple therapist in VR.
The release of the report is hot off the heels of Future of Sex fourth sextechhackathon.In
New York, the company asked participants to create tech-enabled solutions to reinvent sex education for teenage boys, among other
prompts.
Women in sextech
Future of Sex partnered with porn site YouPorn to co-host the event and asked hackers to come up with ways to
leverage YouPorn content, which includes VR porn, to improve the sex lives of viewers
VR porn is not a new phenomenon and while it can allow for more personal sexual experiences, researchers have warned that blurring the line
between the real and the virtual could lead to ethical issues
How, for example, do you give consent in VR
Women, who are often exploited for the purposes of sexual entertainment, need to be at the table
while this content and other sextech are in development
Fortunately, Cole says, women are entering the sextech community in droves.
[It&s] exploding at the moment and more and more women
entrepreneurs are having a go at building a company,& she said
&It Important to highlight why women are getting involved in sextech especially in the current climate of #MeToo.
Unbound makes pleasure
fashionable
On stage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF this year, Unbound, which makes fashion-forward vibrators and other sex toys for women, took
home the second-place prize.
Our dream at Unbound is for female sexual health to be viewed through the same lens as male sexuality — as a
part of our overall health that deserves a conversation, platform, and shopping experience that doesn''t feel like a flaming pile of
garbage,& Unbound founder PollyRodriguez told TechCrunch John Biggs.
Rodriguez is a close friend of Cole — the community is still small
— and she appeared on the Future of Sex podcast.
The podcast, hackathons and the 12-week accelerator program for sextech startups are part
of Cole effort to expand the dialogue around VR sextech, invite new voices into the movement and remove the stigma around having open and
honest conversations about sex and intimacy.
There has to be a way to invite more people into this conversation,& she said
&If we can normalize the conversation, we can raise the standards around talking about sex.
