Sex-Tech Highlights at CES 2020
From the wearable to the gamified, sex-centric products for all genders
At CES 2020, sex-tech companies occupy an entire corridor at the main event, representing categories from health and wellness to robotics—an advancement from CES 2019, where sex-tech was forbidden from official events and the show floor. Ranging from discreet and transportable to the obvious and impressively innovative, each product deserves representation at the event, and presently each draws serious attention.
One such product is Osé, the blended orgasm-producing pleasure toy from Lora DiCarlo, a company that was the center of last year’s CES sex-tech debacle. “It’s nice to be able to be here and be validated and understand that the tech community sees the validity and the need for sexual health and wellness. We deserve to be at the show and I’m really glad we were able to actually be the agents of change,” the brand’s founder Lora Haddock tells CH. “No matter what kind of products you create, as long as it’s helping somebody in some way, as long as it’s respectful, as long as you’re not objectifying human bodies or female bodies, and it’s really innovative then it deserves to be here. What I’m seeing right now is exactly that: it’s respectful; it’s thoughtfully designed; and, there’s all sorts of different stuff. Sex-tech isn’t just about one thing. It’s everything.” With a focus on wellness and pleasure, our selections from the ever-expanding category are below.
Dame Products
The proud producer of Kickstarter’s most-funded sex toy ever, Dame Products launched with their easy-to-use Eva vibrator, a snug-fitting couples’ vibrator can also be worn during penetrative sex. Since then, the company has successful developed and launched five other vibrating products. At CES 2020, they are proudly promoting their longstanding partnership with 3D-printing innovator Formlabs. Dame Labs, an R&D channel for customer-designer collaborations, also employs Formlabs technology. Customers will have the opportunity to test, critique and engage in extended discussions about their desires.
Crave
Crave‘s wearable vibrators have long taken take discretion to an entirely different level: with their Vesper pendant easily unnoticed, even when worn as a necklace. This is part of the company’s mission to normalize sex toys and pleasure devices, resulting in more conversation and less taboo. Their next offering is an evolution of the Vesper, which can be worn wrapped around a finger. The vibrator sits mounted to a silicone ring and measures at about half the length of the necklace piece. To charge it (which will be done via USB-C), half screws off and secures to a separate charging dock.
Myhixel
Aimed at men, the Myhixel, a copper- and olive-colored masturbation aid, works to drastically increase the amount of control men have over when they ejaculate. Essentially gamified self-play, the product’s customizable settings offer different stimuli (heat, vibrations, realistic feel) and encourage stamina. Healthcare professionals contributed to the final design of the Myhixel, and the data it accrues mirrors that which a doctor would supply: it monitors progress, rewards improvement, and assigns an overall performance grade. Another bonus: badges and rewards occur as users reach their goals.
Baci and Onda
Deriving from Lora DiCarlo‘s Osé device, Baci and Onda are the company’s forthcoming releases. Set to arrive in March, the two products are the recognizable halves of the original device, but they’re separated for good reason. Customer feedback showed that some users preferred the bendable shaft that mimics the feel of fingers, while others liked the fluttering clitoris-stimulation better. Baci mirrors the feeling of the human mouth and tongue using biomimicry and microrobotics, while Onda gently stimulates the g-spot by mirroring the fluid motion of an index finger.
Hero image courtesy of Dame Products
