WHAT
I mean WHAT? The Asia Adult Expo is a B2B industry event for adult entertainment, particularly “toys.” It’s a little like a paperclip manufacturers’ convention and not nearly as sexy as you’re thinking. Vendors from Asia and mostly China, put out their wares at the Hong Kong Convention Centre for wholesale buyers.
WHY
The porn industry has been driving technology since the get go. Maybe more than space travel. We like sex and our drive to consume it is a genetic imperative…some money and thought gets thrown in this direction (Did porn invent the internet? Discuss.)
I went to see what was going on. After reading a lot about Virtual Reality (VR) innovation, home healthcare robots, etc. being driven by innovations in the porn industry, I wanted to see what’s out there.
Well a lot of what you’d expect…a million of the usual suspects and I know you know what I mean. Some bright new colors, some better and better silicon. But there were a few things I thought were pretty awesome.
#1 high-end long distance / social interactive devices
Check out Vitafun. They offer a cup and dildo that can be controlled via a mobile phone anywhere in the world (device > bluetooth > wifi). Partner out of reach for a while? Don’t have a partner? Don’t worry, you can find a willing candidate on their social app…like Tinder but a little more immediate! Their product demo is impressive too – a demonstration of quality and motor power.
And by the way, they have an Indiegogo project where a pair can be yours for USD368 estimated to ship January 2017. Seems like that’s a bit of hype but I like the way they are thinking. In fact, it was the only booth that seemed to have fairly good marketing toward a sophisticated stylish audience. They are also quite gender neutral and LGBT positive.
https://vimeo.com/179807814
#2 Controllable VR
VR porn is definitely already happening a lot. What I thought was quite interesting was a booth for BKK VR Sex Toys offering a VR experience including the ability to control the action, which certainly makes it more visceral. There are a couple devices like cups and motion sensing wristbands that let you start the undressing, set the stroke or complete the mission so to speak. Clearly a little more male focused and the marketing is not as slick but the thinking is solid. Much to my surprise, they also had an Indiegogo project – I’m beginning to sense a trend.
#3 Dolls
Lots of dolls. Dozens of silicon dolls, none of them over 145cm. No that’s not tall enough for an adult human. There were many vendors selling them at many quality levels. I won’t list them here but the market is clearly already well developed.
SO?
So…love it or loathe it porn is doing things that the wider market can learn a lot from. The applications for any remote skilled motor skills demonstration, assistive technology for the disabled, or simply a remote product buyer who wants to experience your product in closer detail but cannot come to you seem fairly obvious.
My friend from the medical industry, Karin, and I frequently talk about how the medical industry has been slow to adopt distance learning and experience sharing techniques that I think we can see the above companies are already well on their way to doing.
READ MORE //
Mashable > Virtual reality sex is coming — and the toys are already here
The Next Web > Porn pioneers: How adult entertainment boosts technology
Google Trends > VR Porn Searches since 2004 (p.s. it’s up nearly 10,000x in less than 2 years)
SCMP > Robots are ready and welcome to assist the elderly
