Building a Better Sex Toy
Why sex toys are just another gadget
Sex toys are generally perceived to have two major functions: they vibrate, and they penetrate (and, if you want to get really fancy, they can do both at the same time). In this framework, improving sex toys is a pretty simple process: you can make them vibrate harder (see: the Magic Wand, and its many copycats), you can make them penetrate deeper, or you can work to create a toy that manages to vibrate, penetrate, and stimulate multiple erogenous zones at the same time (as with the perennially popular Rabbit vibrator).
But limiting sex toy functionality to these two basic aspects does us all a disservice. At their heart, sex toys are just gadgets — albeit ones that we happen to use in a distracted state (if you catch my drift). To truly improve sex toys, we need to go beyond the obvious. Here are a couple of ways that companies can, and have, improve the world erotic products:
Better materials. While this may seem like a no brainer, there are quite a few sex toy manufacturers who don’t consider quality materials a priority — which can cause quite a few problems given that we’re talking about products that are intended to be used internally. Inferior materials can cause irritation and potentially increase risk of cancer; that’s why the best toys on the market are made from non-porous, body-safe materials like silicone, glass, and stainless steel.
Better battery life. No one likes having to run out for new batteries in the middle of the night — least of all when your orgasm is dependent on those batteries. My favorite toys have rechargeable batteries that charge quickly, last a long time, and don’t require any midnight trips to the bodega. Which, granted, is something all gadgets can improve on — which is one more reminder that sex toys are all that different from our smart phones.
Better UI. Easy to understand controls are important for any consumer product. And when the product is one you’re using in an aroused state, where your sexual pleasure hinges on the simplicity of the interface, they’re even more important.
Different modes of stimulation. Must our sex toys really be limited to just vibration and penetration? Thankfully, no. Over the past few years, several companies have come up with innovative toys that change the way we think of erotic products, often by mimicking cunnilingus (which, it should be noted, relies more on pressure rather than vibration or penetration). The SaSi was one of the first products to pursue this path; in more recent years, the Sqweel has followed in its footsteps. While these products may not be perfect, they’re definitely thinking differently — an important quality for any company that wants to improve the sex toy offerings on the market.
Expanding the market. Talk about sex toys, and most people will assume you’re talking about products for women to use by themselves. But men can, and do, enjoy erotic products, as do couples of all orientations and genders. Thankfully, quite a few companies have caught on to this. The past few years have seen a dramatic uptick in the quality of products focused beyond single women, with innovative toys for couples (JimmyJane’s Hello Touch, MinnaLife’s Limon) and men (Fun Factory’s Cobra Libre, the Verspanken) entering the market alongside the more traditional female-focused products.
