No VR goggles? No problem. PC users can also participate in 2D Mode.

Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, Raspberry Dream Labs is set to host its first sex tech panel “Sex & Blockchain: Are We Safe?” in virtual reality on Thursday, April 23.

Starting at 6:30 pm (GMT+1) (10.30 am PT/1.30pm ET), the day-long event will take place on the VR meeting platform AltspaceVR.

There you can engage with a panel of experts as they debate and discuss blockchain technology as it relates to the adult and sex tech industries

Blockchain is commonly defined as “an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.”

Raspberry Dream Labs hopes the panel discussions will offer coverage of diverse topics from multiple points of view. This includes the potential of blockchain technologies to record consent, report sexual harassment, and as a payment option for sex workers.

Spokesperson and event host Angelina Aleksandrovich said: 

Blockchain technology is very powerful, but quite often misunderstood. It can certainly provide benefits in many areas of our existence, but most importantly it can also cause a threat especially when it comes to intimacy and issues of consent. By no means is blockchain a solution to all of our problems.

Answering the big blockchain questions

Raspberry Dream Labs will pose questions like how does blockchain impact cybersex intercourse?

According to the press release, other questions will include “How anonymous is our sex history on the blockchain? Are we protected as we think we are? Does anonymity matter, given the less we hide the less we fear?”

Featuring a panel of experts who will discuss the good, the bad and everything in between when it comes to the way blockchain has and will continue to revolutionize the sex tech industry, topics will include:

• Cryptocurrency and sex work
• Communication platforms
• Issues of consent and smart contracts
• Privacy on blockchain
• The security of peer-to-peer verification
• The effect on intimate relationships and self-identity
• Sex tech and cybersecurity
• The future of blockchain

Attendees can virtually experience the event using HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Go, and Quest, Samsung GearVR, Windows Mixed Reality. If VR is not an option, viewers can watch the panel using 2D mode on PC. Tickets are less than $15, and you can purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.

Meet the experts

Joining host Angelina Aleksandrovich of Raspberry Dream Labs are four experts in their respective fields:

Alison Falk

Alison is the founder of SEXTECHSPACE+, the founder and CEO of WIT PGH (Women In Tech Pittsburgh) as well as the president of Women of Sex Tech. She is a previous software developer with experience in startup and corporate environments.

SX Noir

SX Noir is the host of “Thot Leader Pod,” a podcast that explores sex health with a mission to provide sex-positive resources to millennials. Topics include sex, relationships, health, sex technology, and culture.

Batuhan Bintas

Batuhan founded a UK-based multidisciplinary immersive mixed-reality media studio, Cyber Rabbit Imagination, which encourages audiences to fall into the cyber hole to explore the role of technology in the evolution of consciousness.

Dr. Lori Beth Bisbey

A sex and intimacy coach and registered psychologist, Dr. Lori Beth’s mission is to bring conversations about sexuality, intimacy, relationship dynamics, trauma, and alternative lifestyles out of the shadows and into the light.

Taking the world online

This event is a part of Raspberry Dream Labs’ UNSENSORED series, which is described as “a project unraveling how multi-sensory technologies are re-defining and revolutionizing sexual experiences, engaging people in the sensory exploration, increasing and improving sexual wellbeing through the series of talks, workshops, and parties.”

The organization has shifted to the online and VR format for all upcoming panels and events in the wake of the coronavirus social distancing measures, but the change in plans hasn’t been unwelcome, Aleksandrovich said. 

“COVID-19 had quite a big impact on our plans for this year. We were in the development of an experience that was location-based and relied on human interactions, so we had to step back and rethink our actions. What felt like a disaster at the beginning is now opening doors to new and fresh possibilities, about which I’m very excited!” 

And she revealed the newest upcoming addition to the UNSENSORED series will be UNSENSORED chats, “very casual and free meetups in VR where we are going to talk about all aspects of physical and virtual sex. In this format, we’re not going to invite any experts to present. Instead, the audience will share with each other their deepest thoughts, memories, hopes, fears, and desires.”

Image sources: Raspberry Dream Labs

The post Forget Zoom, Sex Tech Panel Heads to AltspaceVR for Virtual Reality Conference appeared first on Future of Sex.

A sex doll was the guest of honor at the event thrown by sex tech company Raspberry Dream Labs

London recently enjoyed what was reportedly its first official sex party featuring a sex doll. 

While the city has seen sexbot brothels open before, this event was a one-off sex party that encouraged participants to engage with the various pieces of tech entertainment on offer.

Such entertainment included tried-and-true machinery and sex toys through to virtual reality porn and a communal sex doll provided by the company LoveDolls. 

The event was organized by Raspberry Dream Labs, a team of artists and engineers “drawn together to create innovative multi-sensory solutions for cybersex”.

The company says its focus in organizing parties injected with sex tech is to “investigate the potential of humans’ multi-sensory capacity and improve the relationship people have with their own sexuality”.

Speaking to Future of Sex about the London event, Raspberry Dream Labs founder Angelina Aleksandrovich said the first-ever occasion was interesting to observe, with attendees surprisingly hesitant to test drive with the doll. 

“People were very gentle with her in a way that made it seem that attendees thought there was some consciousness to her. For example, if someone removed her pants to finger her, often they would put them back to protect her modesty,” Angelina said. 

 Most of the guests were more fascinated by the doll itself, and were mainly investigating its skin, body curves, and cavities.

 One person in attendance reporting on the December party for Daily Star wrote:

Tonight’s doll lies on a sofa in the play room, as people inside proceed to touch it, shaping its limbs and turning its head. The purpose of its twistable body is that it gives potential participants the option of deciding their own sex positions. Its artificial breasts spill out of a white top to the joy of a group sitting with it, before it’s lifted and carried away into a neighboring room behind closed doors.

Along with the Lovedoll, Aleksandrovich said the event offered attendees a taste of various pieces of currently-available sex tech. 

We also had an interactive F-Machine, connected toys from Kiiroo and virtual reality (featuring a compilation of 360-porn and a pilot of Sensory Seduction, our ongoing artistic R&D project).

In fact, it appeared that the F-Machine created even more excitement than the doll, according to the hosts. 

People were visibly excited to see it work when it was turned on, with one female attendee using the machine for approximately 15 minutes with a male partner supporting her.

Could this be the first of many night-time entertainment events to feature sex dolls and sexbots along with other sex tech and machinery? 

Well, Rasberry Dream Labs hopes to hold up to three  more events this year, saying “we want to bring technology closer to people and these parties [are] a great way to do achieve that.”

We encounter sexual technologies either at conferences, expos, or shops, and most people are truly fascinated…but there is a still a bit of a stigma in getting these technologies for personal use. Once they become available at play parties, people can get a gist of it and try for themselves and maybe get their own devices or integrate virtual reality into their sexual practices.

Would an increase in sex tech such as this motivate you to attend an event in your area? Let us know in the comments below. 

Image sources: Raspberry Dream Labs

The post London’s ‘First Sex Robot Party’ Was a Hit, So When Is the Next One? appeared first on Future of Sex.

Lori DiCarlo shows why sexual wellness and femtech are worth fighting for.

Lora DiCarlo, a women-led sexual robotics company, won two more Innovation Awards at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), despite controversy last year when the brand had its 2019 award temporarily revoked.

Lora DiCarlo focuses on thoughtful engineering to develop pleasure products that feel like a real partner, saying the products are inspired by consumers to bring together diverse perspectives on design and technology.

Baci-Baci gives users a human-like kiss

Baci (full product name Baci-Baci, inspired by the Italian word bacio meaning kiss) is a micro-robot designed to simulate the movement and pressure of a human mouth to provide a gentle massage.

The sleek device was developed to help remedy sexual dysfunction among women, including the 21% of American women who struggle with female orgasmic disorder (FOD) as found according to research conducted by the American Sexual Health Association. 

The small, baby pink machine is pioneering a new category of consumer technology for women’s health by using smart technology to replicate the feel and movement of both a human mouth and tongue.

In partnership with the fourth-best robotics graduate program in the US, Oregon State University’s College of Engineering, Lora DiCarlo created Baci to take full advantage of current capabilities in micro-biotics, air-flow technology, biomimicry, and noise cancellation.

The handheld device is compact and discreet, coming in the form of a small oval shape with a clip-on case. 

Ondata mimics the motion of a wave

Onda (full product name Ondata, named after the Italian word for wave) is, according to Lora DiCarlo, “a patent-pending, bio-inspired micro-robot that provides therapeutic vaginal wall stimulation to treat vulvovaginal atrophy, a widespread, underdiagnosed medical condition affecting millions of women.”

Also developed in partnership with Oregon State University, the hardware is the first handheld simulation device to replicate the “come hither” motion of human fingers, making climax smoother with easier access to the G-spot. It also offers prevention and treatment options for vulnerable and at-risk groups such as postpartum mothers, cancer patients, and women over 50.

Onda is subject to six patents in biomimicry, micro-robotics, mixed-complaint materials, mechatronic controls, and noise cancellation. Like Baci, it is due to hit the consumer market by April 1, 2020. The device will be available in a turquoise green hue, also with a clip-on cover for increased hygiene and product protection.

Further accolades amid 2019 drama

Both products received honoree status at the 2020 CES exhibition earlier this year. The “honoree” status is awarded to a product that scores above a set threshold for specific categories including engineering qualities, aesthetic and design qualities and what makes the products unique and innovative to the consumer technology market.

This alone is an impressive feat, given that the future of sex tech showcases at CES became one of uncertainty in 2019 when Lora DiCarlo’s 2019 accolade for its product Ose, which was vetted by both CTA and a panel of judges, was revoked. 

Initially, the administrators at CTA and CES cited an infraction of its entrance rules, one of which stated that “entries deemed by CTA in their sole discretion to be immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with CTA’s image will be disqualified. CTA reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time which, in CTA’s opinion, endangers the safety or wellbeing of any person, or fails to comply with these Official Rules.”

In an open letter following the award being revoked, Lora DiCarlo said:

It’s also important to note that a literal sex doll for men launched on the floor at CES in 2018 and a VR porn company exhibits there every year, allowing men to watch pornography in public as consumers walk by. Clearly CTA has no issue allowing explicit male sexuality and pleasure to be ostentatiously on display. Other sex toys have exhibited at CES and some have even won awards, but apparently there is something different, something threatening about Osé, a product created by women to empower women.

After campaigning against the recantation for months, the CTA reinstated Lora DiCarlo’s award, issued an apology and rewrote the policies to ensure a more inclusive and less offensive environment for women and female-identifying persons.

In a recent second open letter, Lora Di Carlo stated: 

We considered this a fruitful year and an effective call out where all parties learned from their mistakes and the world, for once, felt a little more fair.

While 2020 saw an increase in sex-tech at the show, the CTA has stated that this would be on a one-year trial basis, so the future of sex-tech at CES is still somewhat uncertain. 

But thanks to companies like Lora DiCarlo who take a stand to ensure sex tech has an equal platform, the new decade looks to be a promising one for consumers and developers alike. 

Image sources: Lora DiCarlo

The post Female-led Sex Tech Company, Once Banned from CES, Wins 2 Awards at 2020 Show appeared first on Future of Sex.

Content creators lose cash and lack legal options when their videos are pirated.

Over the past few years, the rise of deepfake technology has caused a significant stir online.

Arguably, its most attention-grabbing moments occurred when it was used to depict celebrities and public figures in unlikely situations: Jimmy Fallon interviewing Jimmy Fallon, a shirtless Vladimir Putin bragging about the 2016 election win, and so on. 

What is deepfake technology?

The video manipulation technique uses artificial intelligence to edit and reproduce video content with a new face superimposed over the human body and face originally featured. 

The sophisticated process poses a new breed of risk to people who are falsely depicted and demonstrates the dangers of trusting all that which meets the eye in the digital landscape.

To create a believable deepfake, hundreds (if not thousands) of images of a face are required to give the artificial intelligence program a realistic understanding of how it looks with unique expressions and during speech.

 It’s for this reason that public figures are often used, with plenty of imagery available online to feed into the program. But while the initial previews of deepfake technology that began popping up on social media platforms often used original videos such as politician’s speeches and Saturday Night Live skits, it was only a matter of time before the adult entertainment industry saw an influx of celebrity faces digitally imposed into videos.

A growing number of victims being targeted by deepfake technology

FutureofSex.net reported on celebrity deepfakes inserted into adult videos in 2018 after the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists released a statement against such acts.

The actors’ union also addressed actions it was taking to “combat any and all uses of digital recreations, not limited to deepfakes, that defame [its] members and inhibit their ability to protect their images, voices and performances from misappropriation.”

Although the impact of deepfake technology in adult content has widely been discussed in relation to the victims whose faces are used, one adult producer spoke out in 2019 about the impact this trend is having on the original owners of the content.

She highlighted the fact that adult content producers are being victimized and affected as much as those whose faces are being used without consent.

Raquel Roper [NSFW] is an adult producer and performer who bears a striking resemblance to Selena Gomez, which made her content an ideal target for celebrity deepfake pornography.

Speaking out against the matter in a YouTube video, she said she hadn’t realized her content was being stolen until she saw a clip from one of her videos online and noticed a different face where her own should have been.

“For my content to be used in this way is really disheartening. I don’t think people realize how harmful it can be,” Roper said. She explained that the income she makes from her original videos supports her to continue as an independent producer. 

I’m not a big company, so when my content is stolen and pirated, [they’re directly] stealing from adult performers.

I saw one of my videos and what looked like my face but it wasn’t my face. It was Selena Gomez’s face. It’s really upsetting because it’s not just my content that’s being stolen, it’s my identity. I didn’t give consent for this to happen, Selena Gomez has not given consent for her face to be morphed into an adult video.

 What does the law say?

Roper added that what’s most concerning is the fact that she’s unable to take legal action, such as filing a suit for defamation.

This is because deepfakes of this nature are typically shared in nearly untraceable environments on the deep web, which are parts of the web not indexed or found by search engines. 

I don’t know where this video came from, I don’t know who did it and there’s no way for me to take legal action—I think that’s what the scariest part is. I feel so shocked that this is legal. I’m scared that this is going to become more of a problem.

While defamation and copyright laws should technically apply and protect victims of adult deepfake content, it’s first necessary to track down the person responsible for creating the fake—typically someone operating on the deep web. 

For non-adult content, such as celebrities making false statements, the laws don’t currently specify or account for the technology, meaning there is nothing in place to protect victims. 

Whether or not lawmakers will review and update the current laws or introduce new regulations to address the threat posed by this technology remains to be seen, but there is a clear need to protect victims of all types when it comes to adult deepfake videos.

Image sources: Raquel Roper

The post Celebs Aren’t Alone, Adult Performers Are Harmed by Deepfake Tech Too appeared first on Future of Sex.

Women are increasingly purchasing sex dolls while men turn theirs into online personas.

The sex doll industry has enjoyed significant growth over the past few years with thanks, in part, to an expanding and increasingly diversified group of consumers.

To learn more about recent changes in consumer trends, we spoke to Phil Bass, the managing director of vendor site The Doll House.

In his conversations with FutureofSex.net, he shone a light on what has helped propel the industry forward and offered insights on where he thinks the industry will take us in the coming years.

Women increasingly ordering dolls for themselves and for use with partners

Bass, noticing an increase in orders from women, says the growing consumer demand is likely reflective of shifting societal attitudes:

“People have not really changed, whereas what is socially acceptable has changed dramatically in recent years.”

He also notes that couples are increasingly buying dolls to bring into the bedroom together.

“There are certainly more couples becoming customers these days as it is now socially permissible to be (somewhat) sexually open-minded. Dolls and robots do allow for an extra addition to lovemaking without infidelity or worry about your partner losing feelings for you.”

Anime and cosplay a favorite for young men purchasing dolls

When it comes to men making a solo purchase, he says there is a distinct trend of cosplaying anime characters and photographing the scenes emerging:

“Younger men are definitely going down a strong anime and computer game route with dolls. As cosplay is fast becoming popular guys want their “Waifu” (a fictional, usually anime character which someone has great romantic affection for) to emulate an anime or computer game character as closely as possible.”

This group of consumers is often taking to Instagram and YouTube to share photos of the dolls, with some even setting up profiles for the doll’s personas:

“Once tried, many men find that dolls/robots are so much more than a sex toy, and a good 75% of male customers enjoy a new hobby with their doll—photography. Instagram is enjoying a surge in doll photography these days as many men like to personify their “Waifu” in imagery and often apply personality in wording.”

“Celestina Monkey is a good example where a YouTube content provider reviewed a doll for us and was so taken with the doll, he created an Instagram account for her,” Bass said.

“Many of these photography enthusiasts are using tech like FaceApp to place smiles onto their Waifu to create a more human feel to the imagery.”

What does this say about the future of the industry?

Bass suspects sex dolls will become “as commonplace as a microwave” in the future, saying “everyone will have at least one.”

There will be movements and consolidations in the industry, but this is where the ‘new money’ will be as more and more people become willing to test the water. I do not see this as a fad that will wane in time, sexual desire is timeless and constant, even as the form of that desire changes, it is eternal.

As a manufacturer and distributor, he sees smart technology—such as that used on our smartphones—playing a significant role in the future of sex tech:

If we marry the tech—AI or otherwise—with mobile phone technology, everyone will become a user in a very short time.

Image sources: The Doll House, Celestina Monkey

The post The Changing Face of the Sex Tech Consumer: A Sex Doll Seller Weighs In appeared first on Future of Sex.

This organization aims to undo the lasting effects of colonization.

Decolonising Contraception is an organization and a global movement aiming to raise awareness, improve education, and increase access to quality information about sexual and reproductive health. In particular, it focuses on racial groups and minorities that have historically been excluded and discriminated against because of colonial influences.

The organization was formed in 2018 by people of color working in the health sector who believe “decolonising is not just an academic idea but a solution in helping address the huge health inequalities present in sexual and reproductive health.” 

Decolonising Contraception holds regular events, primarily in the UK, such as workshops, discussion panels, and meetings to spread their ethos. The group is also involved in consulting on and publishing research and policy, as well as helping to build a community within the health industry that provides what the organization refers to as “collective care.”

So, what is decolonization?

To understand how decolonization in this context might work, it’s important to first understand how sexual health has been impacted by colonization.

Dr. Annabel Sowemimo, one of the founders of the organization, told FutureofSex.net: 

The effects of colonialism are difficult to measure but we still haven’t overcome them. So much of what we take for granted is based on racist science and ideologies started by colonialists. For example, sexual stereotypes are often linked to race-based science which was used to justify oppressing or sexually exploiting people. We see these stereotypes in the porn that people consume today.

Colonization of sexual and reproductive health services has typically targeted the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. 

One often-cited historical example of how contraception was colonized is that of forced sterilization (of both men and women) in Nazi Germany as a means of population control.

The organization’s website states: 

Decolonisation is seeking to undo some of the effects of colonisation. This means addressing the additional barriers some groups face to accessing health services, addressing the idea that some groups have more reproductive rights than others, dismantling the gender binary and colonial heteronormative practice and much more.

When asked about the hopes for the future of decolonized sexual and reproductive health, Sowemimo said that “everyone should be aware of how these things have impacted and continue to affect the sector. There’s a lot of work to be done for communities as well as amongst those working in SRH. This starts with early education on how sex has been framed amongst some cultures and interrogating our beliefs about some groups, for example, [that some groups are] hyper or hypo sexual.”

She said that in an ideal future “there would be a much more nuanced approach to how changing services disproportionately affects minoritised groups.”

How to get involved

Breaking down the opportunities for involvement, from changing our own attitudes through to physically volunteering, Sowemimo said:

Decolonising has become a buzzword but essentially the movement is about understanding how our world has been affected and continues to be affected by coloniality and imperialist ideologies, [and asking ourselves] how we can stop replicating these very harmful models.

 “Anyone can build knowledge on how coloniality has shaped their thinking and try to interrogate that,” she continued.

In relation to [the organisation] Decolonising Contraception, attending our events to learn more and supporting our work for black and people of colour is one way of readdressing the balance. We work across three areas doing public engagement work, academic and policy work, and establishing a community of those in sexual and reproductive health. We just want to start doing things differently. So there is a lot going on!

Members of the organization have shared their varied experiences and motivations in joining the movement. 

Dr. Liza Wonga cited the increased likelihood of dying during childbirth for people of color, and a need to address the issue, as one reason for joining the organization. Josina Callist pointed out the freedom the organization offers in discussing decolonizing sexual health openly.

The simplest way to get involved, particularly from abroad and without any health industry association or qualifications, is to donate via the website and follow the team on Instagram and Twitter to help build their profile and share their message.

For those in the area who want to get involved in the day-to-day, contact the team via email to find out more about how the multidisciplinary team with individual interests share the workload in different ways.  

Sowemimo also revealed an upcoming event for which the team currently seeks volunteers: 

We are launching the first sexual health and wellbeing festival for black and people of colour next year on Saturday 18th April—there will be more details on our website soon but we are looking for people to volunteer, run workshops and do panels.

Image sources: Decolonising Contraception

The post ‘Decolonising Contraception’ Is Fighting Racism in the Sexual Health Industry appeared first on Future of Sex.