Using technology to boost sex

Can technology improve sex? The makers of one device unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show are banking on it.

A vibrator designed for couples called We-Vibe is pushing the envelope at the world's biggest tech gathering in Las Vegas, which is warming to the notion of technology and sex.

Tristan Weedmark, "sexology relations coordinator for" the Canadian-based maker of the device, Standard Innovation, said millions of people have already tried the device, which is based on research from the University of Guelph.

"It's the only vibrator which can be worn while making love," she told AFP. "It stimulates the G-spot, the clitoris and the penis simultaneously."

This enables both a male and a female to get the benefit of the stimulator, she said: "It enhances sexuality instead of detracting from it."

Weedmark said that, even though the device was designed for heterosexual couples: "It has been used in the gay community with lots of success. You're really limited by your own imagination."

She said some two million people have purchased the couples vibrator from online retailers in the US and Europe and in Canada, where it is sold in pharmacies.

Remote controlled sex?

The device comes with a remote control, which raises the question of who is in control of the love act. Weedmark said this does not usually pose a problem: "You can take turns."

The introduction coincides with a new focus on sex at the world's biggest technology trade event.

The gathering featured three panel discussions including "Sex Never Gets Old," "Science Meets Sexuality," and "Sex in Digital Times."

Standard Innovation's product development chief Grant Bechthold said it is appropriate for the tech gathering to think about products for sex, which can appeal to ageing baby boomers who are finding their sexual experiences changing.

"There's a lot of science that goes into our products," Bechthold said. "We use the same principles of design and engineering as all the other firms here."

Company chief executive Danny Osadca said the firm's goal "is to apply the same high-level thinking and processes found in traditional consumer electronics to advance the future of sexual health.

(Sapa, January 2013)

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