Future of Sex
tagline
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Future Villages Will Embrace Free Love 3.0

  • Creating a Buzz: The Case for Required Disability Training in Sex Tech

  • Top Period Tracking Apps–Ranked by Privacy Settings

  • Crypto, NFTs, and the Future of Sex Work

  • Will Sexual Desire Fade in the Metaverse Like it Does in Traditional Marriages?

  • Lovense’s VibeMate Browser App: Everything You Need in One Place

  • New Non-Hormonal Male Birth Control Pill to Begin Human Trials in Late 2022

  • What to Consider Before Buying a Bluetooth-Enabled Sex Toy

Future of Sex is supported by our readers. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Home > Dating & Relationships > An Exploration in How to Sleep Together Remotely

Dating & Relationships
Home›Dating & Relationships›An Exploration in How to Sleep Together Remotely

An Exploration in How to Sleep Together Remotely

By Carolyn Stransky
April 6, 2022
115
0

Consent and privacy can't be overlooked when it comes to intimate tech.

couple in bed

The lack of physical intimacy in long-distance relationships is a real problem.

Usually, we see companies tackle this issue by creating ways that we can have sex remotely—particularly through products like interactive sex toys.

What’s missing is often other forms of intimacy beyond sex, like sleeping next to each other.

This is what Danae Tapia, founder of The Digital Witchcraft Institute, discovered when the pandemic hit in 2020.

“Most of the countries had a full lockdown… you couldn't go to someone else's place and stay there because you could get the virus and there were all these restrictions,” she explains.

“It was also quite sad because we were acknowledging how painful it was to be distant.”

Tapia started exploring sleep technologies while speculating about an app that could allow people to virtually “sleep together” despite strict lockdown regulations or any other reason people may be apart.

“We started to do this speculation about a possible app that could replicate the act of sleeping with someone. Not really having sex, but sleeping,” she says.

Sleeping with someone requires trust—and this must be considered in product development

Much like sex, sleeping with someone is an intimate act of trust. Arguably sleeping more so, because of the vulnerability of your physical state.

When you’re sleeping, your body is exposed and you’ve given up a sense of control. In order to truly let yourself rest, you need to have confidence in your safety.

That’s why, according to Tapia, any technologies involved with your sleep must include two key components: Consent and privacy.

“You’re actually in an act of deep trust, of deep consent… it’s an essential part of sleeping with someone,” she says.

If you’re going to sleep “together” with someone else remotely, this should be an opt-in experience. You should know how much access to yourself you’re revealing. Can they see you? Hear you? Feel your heart beating?

Everyone involved should also be ok with the uncertainties that come with being unconscious around another human. This could be anything from letting out an innocent snort to unknowingly voicing your desires.

Consequently, being aware of what data is being collected and who that data is being shared with is essential. This includes the people involved with the remote sleeping experience, as well as the underlying company developing the product and any third-party services they may be partnered with.

Creating a new, remote way to sleep with another person comes with challenges

When presenting the concept for her app at Touchy Feel Tech’s Sex Tech Talk Show, Tapia also touched on challenges that developing technology like this could present.

Physical distance was the first, as that was what inspired the app’s creation. Closely tied to physical distance are potential difficulties with varying timezones and internet accessibility, which are amplified the more people are involved.

Then there’s the potential issue of poor communication, which Tapia says is connected to consent. In her Sex Tech Talk Show presentation, Tapia gave the example of witchcraft and someone creating a spell to control someone else’s sleep without their knowledge:

“How are we going to recreate this idea of two people wanting to sleep together and avoid this tendency… to control another person without consent? That’s the challenge for me, how are we going to keep these two people communicating?”

What future sleep technologies could look like

As of today, Tapia’s speculative app is still only a concept. She’s not certain how sleep technologies will advance, but she seems confident that there’s a place for them in the sex tech industry:

“Maybe using advanced tech to see how to collect or promote or advance these desires that emerge in the oneiric world. Maybe lucid dreaming and desire—and sex, of course.”

Image sources: Becca Tapert

Carolyn Stransky

Carolyn (she/her) is the Acting Editor of Future of Sex.

She's a queer software engineer and journalist based in Berlin, Germany. Beyond Future of Sex, Carolyn also writes about the intersections of technology and sexuality for outlets like Autostraddle, Curve Magazine and elsewhere.

You can find her most places on the Internet @carolstran.
Previous Article

Space Sexology: Researchers Call on Space Programs ...

Next Article

‘Futanari’ and the Hottest Trends in 3D-animated ...

Related articles More from author

  • Decorative image of two hands reaching towards each other. On one, you can see a wedding ring. The other is holding a black paper heart.
    Dating & RelationshipsVirtual Sex & Entertainment

    Will Sexual Desire Fade in the Metaverse Like it Does in Traditional Marriages?

    July 25, 2022
    By Karley Sciortino
  • love-manual
    Dating & Relationships

    Can a DNA Test Tell If Your Relationship Will Last?

    November 11, 2019
    By Miss Doll
  • rainbow gay pride balloons
    Dating & Relationships

    ‘Twinks,’ ‘Hard Femmes,’ and ‘Drag Queens’ Are Welcome on OkCupid

    July 9, 2021
    By M. Christian
  • Japan Birthrate Crisis
    Dating & Relationships

    Change Everything: An Innovative Approach to Japan’s Birthrate Crisis

    May 5, 2020
    By M. Christian
  • Dating & RelationshipsVirtual Sex & Entertainment

    New Generation of Single Chinese Women Are Paying for “Virtual Boyfriends”

    January 3, 2020
    By Keats Iwanaga
  • Polyamory Is Legal in US
    Dating & Relationships

    US City Makes History By Recognizing Polyamorous Domestic Partnerships

    July 29, 2020
    By M. Christian

  • Virtual Sex & EntertainmentImmersive Entertainment

    Could VR Therapy Help Survivors Heal from Sexual Trauma Faster?

  • VDOM an app-driven prosthetic penis sextech
    Augmentation

    The VDOM Seeks $1.5M in Seed Funding for ‘Cyber Penis’

  • Lovense Speed Mode Announcement
    Sex Tech

    Lovense Releases Speed Mode: A New Way to Appreciate Being in Motion

Virtual Lust is a 3D interactive sex game.
3DXChat
Discover the best virtual sex parties and 3D sex worlds.
  • TOP REVIEWS

  • Realistic Sex Games

    Review of the Best Sex Games and Most Realistic Sex Simulators of 2021 [UPDATED]

    0
  • Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    Review of the Best Massively Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    0
  • Sex Games for Mac

    The Best Sex Games for Mac

    0
  • foot-fetish-sex-games-girlvania

    Foot Fetish Games That Will Knock Your Socks Off

    0
  • The Best RPG Sex Games of 2021

    0
Fantasy sex game Dream Sex World lets you explore your wildest desires.
Multiplayer sex world Red Light Center continues to impress with its massive userbase and incredible sex graphics.
A blonde and light-skinned love doll face sppears next to the text Go now realdollxthe future is real.
  • 27KFollowers

Like Us on Facebook

Newsletter Subscription

Sign up for our monthly newsletter sharing the very best of the future of sex from our publication and others across the web.

DreamSexWorld offers a stunning XXX 3D world filled with incredibly interactive erotic experiences.

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

RLC_ad_v2

Tweets by @FutureofSex
Future of Sex Report

Follow us

  • Home
  • About
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contribute
  • Story Ideas?
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2011 - 2022 Future Exploration Network
This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve user experience and track affiliate sales. To learn more about why we need to use cookies, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

By clicking the agree button or continuing to browse through the website, you agree to the use of cookies. Accept Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT