Searching for top-notch sex tech? Then, look no further.

XBIZ, a well-known media outlet covering the adult industry, held its annual awards ceremony last month in Los Angeles. Hosted by adult performer Stormy Daniels, the event honored top sex tech brands and companies for their outstanding contributions in pleasure-based technologies and products.

Let’s get to know the winners a little better, shall we? Here we take a closer look at the top sex tech recognized at XBIZ 2019.

Innovative Sex Toy of the Year — Design

Design is key to innovation especially for pleasure-focused technology. Satisfyer wins the award for best innovative sex toy design with the Satisfyer Pro Traveler. Described in promotional materials as an “elegant travel companion to the land of multiple orgasms,” this travel-friendly, rechargeable device uses pressure wave technology to deliver contactless vibrations to the body. The affordability of this product, given its high-quality design, is also noteworthy.

Innovative Sex Toy of the Year — Technology

App-based technologies are enhancing our ability to connect more than ever before. Lovely, Inc. is leveraging that technology with this year’s Innovative Sex Toy of the Year. The Lovely 2.0 is a vibrating ring with patented “desire-sensing” technology. The ring connects to an app that learns what users and their partners enjoy in bed to provide personalized, sex-related tips and inspiration.

Sex Doll Brand of the Year

Sex dolls are gaining increased popularity as sex tech evolves. Pipedream Products wins the Sex Doll Brand of the Year award for lifelike Ultimate Fantasy Dolls. These bendable, poseable dolls are made of flesh-like thermoplastic elastomer and supported by a stainless steel skeleton. There are three styles to choose from complete with realistic eyes, adjustable fingers and toes, and press-on nails.

Sex Toy of the Year — Powered (Vibrating)

The award for the best-powered vibrator went to Screaming O for the Tri-It, a three-point, rechargeable sex toy. Made with body-safe silicone and a “safer” lithium polymer battery, this product provides three powerfully vibrating points of contact and features 20 vibration patterns to enhance erotic experiences.

Sex Toy of the Year — Powered (Non-Vibrating)

From Fun Factory, a German company known for its iconic line of self-thrusting sex tech, the Stronic Surf Pulsator 2 won this year’s award for best powered, non-vibrating sex toy. This hands-free device is made of medical-grade silicone and thrusts back and forth on its own in 10 different settings.

Sex Toy of the Year — Non-Powered

From the Aneros Company’s patented line of hands-free prostate stimulators, comes this year’s winners for best non-powered toy of the year. The Trident beginner series features three different models of silicone prostate massagers honored by XBIZ as this year’s top non-powered tech, and are made specifically for anal play.

Luxury Pleasure Product/Line of the Year

Although luxury adult products tout a higher price tag than their counterparts, the quality and advanced technology is usually worth the investment. The Womanizer Premium, winner of this year’s Luxury Pleasure Product of the Year award, is no exception. Premium is a clitoral sucker lauded for its patented, whisper-quiet Pleasure Air Technology that “stimulates the clitoris without touching it.”

Couples Sex Kit/Toy of the Year

Strap-on toys are great for couples as they’re designed for pegging and other penetrative pleasures, with both partners in mind. Doc Johnson wins the Couples Sex Toy of the Year award for the Vac-U-Lock Total Penetration Set. This brightly colored harness set, designed with matching unisex attachments, promises to provide the “perfect strap-on experience.”

Male Pleasure Product/Line of the Year

Satisfyer is earning a reputation for producing high-quality, affordable sex tech. This year they’re honored again for their Satisfyer Men Heat Vibration device. Designed with an innovative heat function that feels like “a unique mix of vaginal and vaginal sex,” this silicone-filled masturbation device has 70 vibration patterns and 3 adjustable heat levels up to 40 degrees Celsius.

Gay Pleasure Product/Line of the Year

Fleshlight won this year’s award for a dildo from their Fleshjack Boyz product line inspired by musician and reality television star, Milan Christopher. The Milan Christopher Dildo measures nine inches from base to tip and is “molded from the man himself.”

Specialty Product/Line of the Year

Advancements in technology for sex tech also apply to sexual accessories.

This year’s winner for Specialty Product of the Year was TOUCH, an automated dispensing system for warming personal lubricants and massage oils. The motion-sensitive device from Warm dispenses warmed lubricant into your palm with the wave of your hand.

Image sources: XBIZ/Twitter, TRI IT, Stronic Surf Pulsator 2, Trident, Womanizer Premium, Vac-U-Lock Total Penetration Set, Satisfyer Pro Traveler, Lovely 2.0, Satisfyer Men Heat Vibration, Milan Christopher Dildo, Ultimate Fantasy Dolls, TOUCH

The post 11 Award-winning Sex Toys and Product Lines from XBIZ 2019 appeared first on Future of Sex.

Adult industry honors the best in intimate technologies and experiences. 

On Thursday, January 17, the adult industry honored its most prominent professionals at the annual XBIZ Awards in Los Angeles, California. Hundreds of adult film stars and industry executives attended the ceremony hosted by industry legend, Stormy Daniels at the Bonaventure Hotel.

Awards were announced across the following categories: Movies & Production, Web & Technology, Pleasure Products, and Retail & Distribution. Below are the winners honored for their contributions in sex tech:

UPDATE: This newer article takes a closer look at each winner and why they won.
Sex Doll Brand of the Year
Ultimate Fantasy Dolls, Pipedream Products

Condom Manufacturer of the Year
Paradise Marketing

Best Sex Scene – Virtual Reality
Domino Presley, Moving in, Putting Out (GroobyVR)

Virtual Reality Site of the Year
WankzVR.com [NSFW]

Emerging Web Brand of the Year
Nutaku [NSFW]

Luxury Pleasure Product/Line of the Year
Premium, Womanizer

Sex Toy of the Year — Powered (Vibrating)
Tri-It, Screaming O

Sex Toy of the Year — Powered (Non-Vibrating)
Stronic Surf Pulsator 2, Fun Factory

Sex Toy of the Year — Non-Powered
Trident Series, Aneros

Couples Sex Kit/Toy of the Year
Vac-U-Lock – Total Penetration Set, Doc Johnson

Innovative Sex Toy of the Year — Design
Satisfyer Pro Traveler, Satisfyer

Innovative Sex Toy of the Year — Technology
Lovely 2.0, Lovely

Male Pleasure Product/Line of the Year
Satisfyer Men Heat Vibration, Satisfyer

Gay Pleasure Product/Line of the Year
Milan Christopher Dildo Fleshjack, Fleshlight

LGBT Pleasure Products Company of the Year
OXBALLS

BDSM Pleasure Products Company of the Year
The Stockroom

Specialty Product/Line of the Year
Touch, Warm

Image sources: XBIZOfficial

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If you’re eagerly awaiting more contraceptive options for men, stop holding your breath.

Excitement is growing among men and women alike about the impending availability of male birth control. From pills to topical gels to injections, there are several contraceptives for men in development.

Yet despite hopeful reports from scientists and the media, the reality is it may still be a long time before male birth control becomes available to consumers.

When will male birth control be available?

Currently, the only available options for male birth control are condoms and vasectomies. At this time, there is no definitive timeline for when any of the male contraceptive options in development will be available to the public.

The male birth control pill has been in development for more than 60 years and will likely be the first method available to consumers.

But when it will become available remains a mystery.

In March 2017, Airlangga University in Indonesia announced their partnership with Harsen Laboratories and plans to distribute the world’s first male birth control pill by September 2018.

This announcement was preceded by two earlier announcements touting the drug’s impending release in 2013 and 2015 respectively. As of this writing, the drug is still not available and no public updates have been provided since 2017.

The troubled history of the male pill

The male birth control pill has been in development since 1957, when endocrinologist Gregory Pincus, co-creator of the female birth control pill, first tested the same approach on men.

Dr. Elsimar Coutinho

Unfortunately, interest in this side of Pincus’ research was low at the time, given the enormous popularity of the female pill.

In the 1960s, Brazilian fertility doctor Elsimar Coutinho began working with the Chinese government on the development of gossypol, a non-hormonal method of oral contraception for men.

Clinical trials showed gossypol pills successfully reduced male sperm count. However, the results were permanent for many study participants as sperm levels did not return to normal after they stopped taking the drug.

Further studies conducted over the next three decades concluded that over time, gossypol also caused damage to the lining of the ducts that store sperm. In 1998, this research was abandoned after the World Health Organization declared gossypol unsuitable for male contraceptive use due to the toxic side effects and risk of infertility.

Another successful but halted attempt

In the late 1970s, the National Institutes of Health began clinical trials for a new, injectable method of male birth control. These trials resulted in several studies proving that testosterone injections for male contraception were just as effective as female contraception.

Further studies over the next three decades confirmed the efficacy and reversibility of this method. However, the most recent trial, backed by the World Health Organization and the Canadian Oilsands Network for Research and Development (CONRAD), was terminated prematurely by an independent safety review panel due to the frequency and severity of adverse side effects.

The study results published in 2016 listed the following as the most common side effects: acne, injection site pain, increased libido, and mood disorders. Two serious adverse events were reported by men in the study including the attempted suicide of one participant (out of 320 total participants), which ultimately led to the termination of the trial.

To compare, the most common side effects suffered by women using birth control pills include: nausea, headaches, weight gain, decreased libido, mood changes, vaginal dryness, irregular bleeding, blood clots, seizures, heart conditions, abdominal pain, blurred vision, and in rare cases death.

Obstacles to reaching the market

In order for any of the male contraceptive methods in development to become available for purchase at the pharmacy, scientists must first conduct human clinical trials, which can be quite expensive.
“We’re talking about drugs men are going to take for a really long time, so the pathway for approval is long too,” explains Diana Blithe, program director for contraception development at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Before a drug is eligible for an FDA application, three phases of clinical trials must be conducted. Scientists in the field of male contraception have historically struggled with declining interest from pharmaceutical companies to fund the trials needed to obtain FDA approval.

According to the Male Contraceptive Initiative, only “10% of drugs [in development], on average, make it from Phase I to market.”

Lack of funding and commercial interest

Despite the estimated global market value of up to $200 billion and numerous multicultural studies citing the willingness of men to use male contraception, there is still a diminutive interest from pharmaceutical companies to support male contraception research. Financial support from nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, as well as government agencies continues, but at decreased levels.

In the last fifteen years, three major pharmaceutical companies have pulled the plug on research programs focused on male contraception. Companies have indicated these decisions were motivated by “changes in corporate direction.”

In an interview with Mosaic, Coelingh Bennink, a former executive on one of the terminated studies, provides insight into the executive atmosphere and attitudes that could be driving corporate perceptions:

At board level it was only middle-aged white males… I tried to explain how important [male contraceptive research] could be, but they never got further than saying to each other, ‘Would you do it?’ ‘No, I wouldn’t do it.’ It was not considered male behavior to take responsibility for contraception.

Image sources: Anqa, fotos GOVBA

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