In terms of technology, we have come a long way since the invention of the first vibrator in the late 1800’s. Back then it was strictly for women’s medicinal purposes; now they are a pleasure source for all genders.

With products like Ohnut, designed to mitigate pain, or Lioness, a smart-vibrator to track your experiences, there is no shortage of innovation when it comes to sexual technology (sextech) for the bedroom.

When thinking about sextech, however, it is important to keep in mind that “Sextech doesn’t have to be limited to the physical act of sex, it extends to anything under the umbrella of sexuality, and that includes dating and heartbreak,” said Bryony Cole, host of the Future of Sex podcast.

Cole shared these sentiments with me when speaking about Mend, an app designed to ease the pain and struggle after a breakup — also Cole’s favorite example of sextech. This is just another testament to our progression, as it was just over 20 years ago when Match.com was first created.

“Sex — and sexuality — is important to all of us. It is core to our identity and how we see ourselves, and it’s how we all got here.”

Bryony Cole

There seems to be a stigma when it comes to sextech of all sorts and the perception that it only further isolates and diminishes human contact. According to Cole, however, that really depends on how we use it.

“Sextech has the ability to bring people closer together or drive us apart…for many, the internet has been a great source of comfort in finding their own communities that share the same sexual preferences or proclivities,” Cole said. “Dating apps have completely changed the way we connect with people and, for some, resulted in marriage. [They] have been especially significant for people in rural or remote areas where it is harder to find love.”

“My personal mission is to make sure the $30 billion sextech industry is more diverse and inclusive, resulting in more interesting products and services that cater to a broad range of humans, rather than a select few.”

Bryony Cole

Still, with all of the technological strides we seem to be making on the front of a ‘sex-positive’ movement, Cole recognizes that, “culturally, it is still very hard to talk about sex.”

“Sextech could offer the most benefit to invisible populations, people that typically aren’t seen as sexual, such as people with disabilities and the aging population.” Cole said. “We need to start re-imagining technology uses for people that can really benefit from better sex education, access to sexual health services and sexual expression.”

It all starts with the ability to have that conversation — for us to move past the uncomfortable and awkward stage as a society where sex-talk is still taboo.

Join Cole, Liz Klinger from Lioness and Alexandra Fine from Dame Products in their session Can You Engineer (Sexual) Pleasure? at the time and location below! #engineeringsex

Wednesday, March 13
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Hilton – Salon K