How a new, erotic renaissance may be right around the corner

Utopias—visions of a perfect society—have always been totally subjective.

Or, to put it simply: one person’s dream is another’s nightmare.

That being said, dreaming of utopias can still be entertaining and even therapeutic: in them often being the optimism that humanity can someday, somehow create a perfect world.

With both that playfulness—and acknowledging that this won’t be ideal for everyone—here is speculation on the technologies that could help create a sexual utopia.

What is a sexual utopia?

Before we go any further let’s have some clarification. To create a utopia you usually start with a negative and then work toward a positive: a problem and then a solution.

For our own negative, we’re beginning with the fact that right now sex is far from pleasurable for far too many. Bigotry, lack of sexual education, gender dysphoria, shame, rape, sexual harassment, loneliness—sadly, the list goes on from there.

And our positive will be how technology, much of it already in development, could work together to make a world not only free of these negatives but could also lead to a utopia where humanity will be able to experience sexual pleasure as never before.

Consent and safety

Without a doubt, sexual assault has one of the most detrimental effects on human society. For too many, it has turned an act of pleasure into a physical and emotional nightmare.

While there are no obvious immediate technological solutions to sexual assault, there is still the possibility that new levels of safety could be gained through the use of blockchains as a secure way of registering consent to sexual activity.

While there are clearly some hurdles to overcome, ideally parties involved would agree to sexual contact, and then confirm their willingness with a secure blockchain-based system.

Lastly, having a ubiquitous security system in place could also add an all-important layer of protection, being that the best deterrent isn’t the severity of punishment but the certainty of it.

Artificial intelligence could also be employed: programmed to detect sexual assault by keeping a digital eye out for certain phrases or actions—and so alert authorities.

Gender fluidity

In our sexual utopia gender is a spectrum of physical attributes that can be changed by anyone, at any time, for any reason. This means that if someone has gender dysphoria, they can easily become what feels natural to them, no matter their gender at birth.

This could be accomplished by either using genetic engineering techniques, like CRISPR, through advanced surgical procedures or even through the use of inorganic implants.

Then there’s the question of what happens when genitals can be whatever you wish—in style, size, color and whatever else—and secondary characteristics like breasts can be added or removed as easily as changing clothes?

In our sexual utopia, it would mean infinite possibilities for sexual identity and erotic exploration: let the adventures begin!

The end of STIs

This might sound obvious on the surface but that millions of people today still needlessly suffer from sexually transmitted infections means that this is a topic that needs to be brought up time and time again.

Until that is, we arrive at our sexual utopia: where every type of sexually transmitted illness has been eliminated.

This would come, again, from a combination of advanced medical procedures and/or genetic engineering. It’s possible that our future citizens would have their DNA gently tweaked in the womb to prevent infections—which would then lead to the diseases dying off.

And so, with no one ever catching anything, our utopia would be a place where worry and dread of infection would be as extinct as those diseases.

Birth Control

This leads to the last anxiety: unintended pregnancies.

In our perfect sexual world giving birth is always a choice, brought to you—yet again—by genetic engineering or advanced medical procedures.

If you take the genetic engineering route, citizens would be altered yet again so that sperm or eggs would only be viable when a certain gene is switched on. On the medical side, a solution would be an implant doing the same thing—but deactivated either electronically or chemically.

If anyone is concerned about future infertility, there would be an option to have sperm and eggs collected during periods of fertility and then stored until needed.

So we’d have a solution to overpopulation and the imminent depletion of natural resources, eliminating the idea of an unwanted child, giving people new levels of sexual liberation.

Bye bye loneliness

It’s a sad fact that, despite the billions of people on Earth and having access to a great many of them through digital technology, a large number of people are emotionally—and sexually—lonely.

In our perfect world, intelligent agents would match us with possible partners: knowing us better than we could ever know ourselves.

RECOMMENDED READ: Fun With a Future: Romantic Weekends for Humans and Their Digital Partners 

And, if a match couldn’t be found, then there’d be artificial intelligences that would fill our sexual needs. But instead of being parrots constantly telling us what we want to hear, they’d be highly skilled therapists helping us grow as human beings.

There’d also be a complete lack of stigma around them or the advanced sexbots they are part of. Preferring their company would simply be a sexual orientation—and no less respected than any other.

More than anything, this would mean that no one would ever suffer the pain of loneliness ever again.

The end of ignorance

The lack of education and exposure to other forms of human sexuality is the root cause of much of today’s intolerance and fear.

Our utopia, though, will include a wide range of ways to learn about, and even experience, every aspect of human life—especially when it comes to sex.

First, there’d be virtual reality and then eventually direct neural interface: these fully immersive experiences becoming an invaluable tool for creating empathetic bonds with other people.

Ignorance, after all, is hard to maintain when you can digitally walk in another person’s shoes and see through their eyes.

Augmented reality, meanwhile—as either glasses or again as a form of neural interface—would expand our vision, and knowledge, of the world around us.

Walking down the street we’d be able to read every sign, how to speak the language, the history of every structure, the ingredients of every meal and—if the person you are looking at wishes to share such things—a person’s the sexual interests.

All of this leading to seeing the world not as locked door and hidden terrors but as passages to new discoveries.

A world of possibilities

Blockchain technology, genetic engineering, advanced medicine, sexual robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality—they all play crucial roles in our playful sexual utopia.

But technology alone will not solve today’s problems with sex.

We will continue to live in a world of ignorance, bigotry, hate, and fear—no matter what devices we create—unless humanity moves forwards. Subjective or not, we can make the world a better place if we embrace knowledge, empathy, respect, and tolerance.

And, who knows, we may someday be able to bring this sexual utopia—or something very much like it—into reality.

Do you have something you’d like to see in a sexual utopia? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Image sources: Depositphotos

The post A Joyous Life: A Sexual Utopia in 7 Social and Technological Steps appeared first on Future of Sex.

Green technology plus environmental awareness equals pleasure

Bicycles humming down winding avenues; buildings sheathed in gardens; homes drinking in the sun; windmills lazily turning in a steady breeze; rainbows of myriad cultures laughing, creating, in a world of acceptance; life, in all its forms, strolling the streets; love, in all its beauty, singing together; technology as art; equality, equal opportunity, everywhere; the world as a place for everyone—and the planet cherished.

Right now the world seems to be fighting itself when it comes to sex: far too many people are holding onto old and, let’s be frank here, antiquated views. There’s a lot of fear out there, and with that fear comes hate.

The solarpunk movement, though, offers hope that one day we’ll look at sex with our eyes wide open. Acceptance for everything from homosexuality, polyamory, transgenderism, the right of self-definition, and more is practically built into the foundations of the solarpunk genre.

A big, green sexy tomorrow

While relatively new, solarpunk has been gaining momentum. Joining the ranks of the other “punks” like cyberpunk, dieselpunk, atompunk, and the ubiquitous steampunk, solarpunk, according to Wikipedia, is an “eco-futurist speculative movement focused on envisioning a positive future beyond scarcity and hierarchy, where humanity is reintegrated with nature and technology is used for human-centric and ecocentric purposes.”

In short, it’s a beautiful future where humans live in harmony both with the planet and with our own nature. Think Star Trek’s optimism but with windmills and bicycles.

As it’s a pretty new punk genre, the world is still waiting for solarpunk’s defining novel—though Ernest Callenbach’s fictional ecological utopia, Ecotopia, is a great place to start.

In its heart, solarpunk is not just in the idea of an eco-friendly heaven-on-earth. It’s the idea of humanity achieving a social evolution that embraces tolerance, compassion, acceptance.

Especially when it comes to sexuality.

Solar sextech

Technologically, there’s much that’s been discussed here at Future of Sex that fits into Solarpunk—that shows we actually might be heading towards its vision of the future.

Solarpunk is all about preserving resources, of striving—even in regards to sex—to think responsibility about waste and efficiency.

RECOMMENDED READ: Garden of Earthly Delights: Dreaming of Genetically-Engineered Sextech

Virtual reality can quite easily be argued to fit into this idea. After all, beyond the creation of the hardware side of things, with VR you can create, or inhabit, a vast world that uses nothing but time and computing power. Instead of traveling all over the world, with VR you can see the wonders of the planet—and, similarly, you can engage in sex with a wide variety of people without leaving the comfort of your home.

That bringing of the world to you, instead of you going to see it, also fits well with solarpunk’s inclusive and respectful themes. \Being able to interact with all kinds of people, see their lives through their eyes, can do nothing but bring humanity closer together.

Seeing the potential

Similarly, augmented reality can give anyone access to vast amounts of immediate knowledge, superimposed directly over their vision. Looking at someone, for instance, with AR glasses in a solarpunk future won’t just give you all the information you’d ever need to know, but also things like instantaneous language translation—making connections, sexual or otherwise, much easier.

Teledildonics could also be part of a solarpunk earth. Once again, to become intimate with a lover we no longer need to wastefully travel from one city or country to another. We can have physical relations wherever we happen to be, and with whoever we want—as long as the other person is also game.

The 3D printing of sex toys is another field that shows promise in a solarpunk context. Instead of creating thousands of identical products for sale, customized sex toys can be made only when needed, and to your personal specifications—and even recycled when no longer desired.

Even sex robots are another solarpunk-ish development. True, big industry might be needed for some of the components, but a multipurpose android—that can unpack your groceries and push you to climax—could be a major time and labor saver: one that would service other things as well as its owner.

For us, for the earth, for the future

Beyond sex tech, just look at recent green developments: Elon Musk’s solar roofing tiles, the proliferation of hybrid and electric vehicles, the round-the-world flight of a solar plane, major cities (and even countries) striving for 100% renewable energy, the tiny house movement, and autonomous vehicles.

While the future of the planet may sometimes appear bleak, now there’s every indication that the Earth solarpunk envisions may not be that far off. In fact, it may even be inevitable.

It’s easy to dismiss solarpunk as a hippy dream, where everyone holds hands and sings “Kumbaya.” Sure, it’s right now just a genre of science fiction. But it’s one that dares to think that no matter what happens to the world today, one day we might living in a world that’s technologically, socially, and especially sexually, conscientious.

Image sources: Depositphotos

The post Loving the Earth: Solarpunk’s Optimistically Sexy Future appeared first on Future of Sex.

Tomorrow’s pleasures will be recyclable, energy efficient, and arousing!

Unlike cyberpunk’s high-tech/low life aesthetic or atompunk’s stalwart heroes, solarpunk depicts an eco-conscious future—which, if we play our cards right, could inspire a brilliantly green sextech revolution.

But what is solarpunk, and how could a relatively new science fiction subculture save the planet and change society for the better while potentially transforming human sexuality in the process?

Think globally, act locally

Solarpunk is, by its nature, futuristic, though it involves less wildly speculative and more actually doable technologies such as its titular solar panels, zero waste manufacturing facilities, 100% recyclable products, and ecological stewardship.

Gadgetry aside, solarpunk is hopeful more than anything else, typically involving thoughtful, conscientious problem-solving without resorting to pew-pew violence—with everything ending on a positive, life-affirming note.  

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In short, no towering glass towers, no sprawling megalopolises, no roaring starships but rather grass-roofed villages, bicycles or sailboats, naturally sourced clothing, locally farmed produce, and living at a sedate, more thoughtful pace—which would likely extend to the sex lives of its inhabitants, though erotic solarpunk fiction isn’t—as yet, at least—particularly popular.  

Still, we’ve already seen the roots of what could bloom into an ecologically responsible, sexually liberated world.

Every day is earth day

As we’ve written previously, solarpunk’s green philosophy is showing signs of impacting the sextech industry.  For instance, fetish fashionistas pushing for low-impact fabrics or pleasure device manufacturers are beginning to realize they have a stake in keeping their customers—and the planet—safe and healthy.

Using solarpunk as a jumping-off point, this rise of green positivity might extend to those very same customers passionately insisting the sextech industry pledge to reduce unnecessary waste. 

For example, tomorrow’s vibrators could be made from either infinitely recyclable or completely biodegradable materials.

It might also mean the end of mass production, replacing it with toys 3D-printed on demand, so no more churning out hundreds of thousands of anything and then destroying the tens of thousands that failed to sell. 

Or not construct but instead grow our solarpunk playthings?  Add a dash of genetic engineering, and your garden might sprout more than just edibles.  

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Another solarpunk maxim is ditching mass consumerism for a more thoughtful approach to buying, selling, or creating, well, anything.  It doesn’t take a dedicated eco-warrior to understand it’s a monumentally bad idea to have hundreds of different toothbrushes when only a few very carefully designed ones would do the trick.

To its credit, the sextech industry isn’t quite that reckless. Still, it’s far from comforting to realize how many pleasure devices—often looking, operating, and feeling the same—are made and sold each year. 

Before you protest, having a large number of choices means you’re able to get precisely what you need to show yourself a good time; imagine when you won’t buy a ready-made sextoy but would design whatever your desire and then 3D print it—all without wasting power, water, and other precious resources.

A brightly shining tomorrow

If solarpunk can teach us anything—in addition to doing whatever we can to preserve our world—it is to never lose hope.

Sure, we shouldn’t shroud ourselves in reckless optimism, but it’s equally dangerous to automatically assume the future is tragically unalterable.

Solarpunk doesn’t wear green-colored glasses, telling its readers tomorrow will be an ecological paradise filled with friendly, socially-conscious hippies, but delivers the message it can be if we keep trying.

A sentiment we could—and should—extend to sex.  Just as solarpunk is about efficiency, savoring the moment, and caring for the planet, so too its philosophy could guide us eroticicall: replacing kindness and tolerance with selfishness, living in the moment instead of racing to the finish line, and understanding and respect and not indulging in ignorance and frustration.

It may be a science fiction subgenre, but solarpunk could inspire us to create a better, sexier world—and not merely dream of one.  

Image Sources: Depositphotos

The post Max Pleasure, Low Impact: The Green Pleasures of Solarpunk Sextech appeared first on Future of Sex.

Study indicates pleasure devices may result in unforeseen ecological and health-related problems

A newly published paper by a Duke University team raises a series of disturbing questions regarding the negative impact the sextech industry could have on the environment and the well-being of its users—and if unchecked, could curtail our use of sex tech to enhance sexual pleasure but even imperil the planet we live on.

The plastic predicament

Focusing on what is arguably the most problematic part of sextech manufacturing, Joana Marie Sipe from the University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and her fellow researchers draw a connection between the industry’s production of nano and microplastic waste and the chemicals often employed to remove it. 

To “highlight evidence supporting the possibility that people who use some sex toys in the United States may be exposed to materials that include chemicals previously identified as hazardous, thereby posing potential health risks,” the Duke team began by abrasion testing four different sex toys to replicate average wear-and-tear.

Once completed, they found the pair of vibrators—one identified as “external” and the other “dual” produced the least amount of nano and microplastics. At the same time, the “anal beads” and what they called an “anal toy” resulted in the most.

A big threat from small particles

“These results confirm differences in potential microplastic and nanoplastic generation from abrasive forces applied to sex toys,” the Duke team notes. “While potentially higher than it could be in actual use scenarios, provides understanding of a potential upper bound in mechanically induced exposure. Exposure in this study will reference the generation of microplastics from the material in which the sex toys are generated from as well as the phthalates the material contains, raising the possibility of interaction with these microplastics and chemicals generated.”

RECOMMENDED READ: Kinky and Green: The Rise of Sustainable Fetish Fashion

Though studies like those conducted by Duke University may not be conclusive, environmental scientists are also becoming increasingly alarmed by the damage microplastics pose to the environment.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains, “These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and Great Lakes, posing a potential threat to aquatic life.”

More troubling, researchers led by Khaled Ziani of Bucharest, Romania’s “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, authored a paper stating, “Data from animal studies have shown that once absorbed, plastic micro- and nanoparticles can distribute to the liver, spleen, heart, lungs, thymus, reproductive organs, kidneys and even the brain (crosses the blood–brain barrier).”

The world and everyone on it

As with any industry, a growing number of companies are seeking to cash in on sextech’s increasing popularity. While many understand the importance of producing environmentally conscious and user-safe products, it’s logical to assume others don’t.

Here’s where the trouble lies, as when faced with often expensive but high-quality pleasure devices, consumers may instead opt to go with cheaper, less-personally-healthy, more possibly world-damaging options.

Joana Marie Sipe and her Duke University researchers have already considered this situation, concluding their paper with a rallying call for open discussion of possible detrimental impacts the manufacturing and use of personal pleasure devices might have on user health and the environment: “Increased awareness of potential risk can catalyze a broader conversation around protecting consumers from sex toys risks, support advocacy for additional research, and promote stakeholder involvement to champion protective action.”

Correctly suggesting it’s an everyone problem, they write, “Representative inclusion across all genders and sexual orientations will be important to ensure attention to the risks accrued to, and protections needed by, key affected demographics.”

Green is never easy but absolutely necessary

If the climate crisis has taught us anything, it’s that there’s no time to waste—with the same urgency being equally crucial when discussing the health and well-being of humanity as a whole.

The sextech industry may not like it, and consumers might not want to pay extra, but by demanding more accountability and environmental sustainability—including calling out irresponsible companies while actively supporting conscientious ones—we may just live long enough to enjoy a new wave of smarter, greener, and healthier pleasure devices in a world that’s not choking to death on miniscule bits of plastic.

Image Sources: Depositphotos

The post Sustainable Desires: Sextech Needs to be Body and Eco-friendly appeared first on Future of Sex.