A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review
This FDA-registered erection-monitoring sex tech gives cock rings a ‘smart’ makeover
The FirmTech Tech Ring is the latest in a line-up of smart sex tech for penises emphasizing sexual health. While this product is worn on the base of the penis like a cock ring, the Tech Ring isn’t designed to arouse but rather to record the degree and frequency of a user’s erections, or lack of, over time. Think of it like a Fitbit for the penis.
It’s rare to find a sex tech product with a single brilliantly designed feature you wish could magically become an industry standard.
So, you can imagine how excited I was (no pun intended) to discover FirmTech’s Tech Ring boasted not one but two impressive improvements on sex tech products: a unique take on cock rings and a novel approach to charging a sex toy.
Monitor your erections with your phone
The idea behind the Tech Ring is that reviewing the accumulated data could provide insight into possible erectile-related issues. It’s designed to be worn during intercourse as well as during the night. According to FirmTech’s website, the Tech Ring can, “count your number of nocturnal erections that can indicate cardiovascular health, the duration of your erection, and the firmness of the penis.”
Erectile dysfunction may be a possible indicator of heart disease in people with penises, and I imagine this tech could also be used to monitor certain neurological conditions as well.
Setting the Tech Ring up begins by pairing it with the FirmTech Android or Apple smartphone app. I was pleasantly surprised by how effortlessly the Tech Ring linked with my iPhone.
After registering with FirmTech or via Apple or Google, the app can record and generate an informative breakdown of the wearer’s erectile ups and downs.
The wrap that works
Though the Tech Ring isn’t technically a cock ring, it uses a different—and arguably more comfortable—way to stay put.
Your classic cock ring is just that: a loop of latex, leather, fabric, or steel positioned around the shaft and behind the testicles to restrict blood flow to and from the penis. The benefits include reduced sensitivity, prolonged erections, and delayed orgasms.
However, getting a cock ring on or off is sometimes more difficult than most people might expect.
The Tech Ring instead uses an elastic band that wraps around and hooks onto its main body, making it far less challenging to put on or take off.
Perhaps this design doesn’t seem like a groundbreaking improvement, but for people with mobility concerns or penile sensitivity issues, the speed at which they can get into and out of a restrictive device can be the difference between a pleasurable or painful experience.
Get charged up, easily
Have you ever reached for your favorite vibrator, stroker, or massager only to find it dead as a doornail? When you inevitably have this experience, you’ll understand the importance of having such a seamless charging system. Whether it’s micro-USB, magnetic cable, or any of the myriad other charging systems sex toys use, they’re occasionally erratic or frustratingly undependable.
Not so with the Tech Ring. Its all-in-one induction charging stand, coupled with how snuggly it wraps around, means that unless its USB plug gets knocked loose, you’ll never have to worry about it getting charged up.
Getting to the ‘hard’ of it
FirmTech is refreshingly professional and obviously passionate about helping penis-equipped people deal with their erection-related concerns.
I enthusiastically applaud that FirmTech’s site is filled with essential information on many possible causes and potential treatments. A comprehensive and educational approach around human sexuality is what I suggest other sex tech companies adopt.
However, it’s also FirmTech’s narrow focus on erections that gives me pause. Despite their applaudable innovations in this arena, I can’t help but speculate on the thinking that motivated the invention of the Tech Ring.
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Our society’s overemphasis on instantly getting and maintaining a rock-solid erection is unrealistic and places an overwhelming amount of stress and pressure on the penis-equipped, which can perpetuate sexual performance anxiety, among other issues.
Amy Marsh, Ed.D, a clinical sexologist and sexuality counselor, said it best, “a healthy normal penis will fluctuate during sexual encounters. It's terrible that this should be such a source of worry. We need a sexual culture change.”
There’s nothing wrong with gaining insight into how your body and sex organs operate, but against the backdrop of our society’s obsession with penis owners ‘performance’ in the bedroom, it may have far-reaching implications that actually promote an unhelpful and unrealistic attitude toward sexual pleasure and health.
The product’s intent to be used towards sexual health may become overshadowed by sexual performance for some, making this tech feel a little ‘two steps forward, one step back’.
This is not to downplay the importance of FirmTech’s sex tech innovation, which will undoubtedly benefit many people looking for answers about their erectile function, or dysfunction.
