what will sex look (and feel like) in the Metaverse?

Erotics have been the driver for technology for decades. From VHS tapes to smart TVs, people’s curiosity for getting hot and steamy has been the driving force for inventing new and trendy gadgets. While sextech is worth over $30 billion today and is expected to grow to $52.7 billion by 2026, we can definitely expect new technologies coming into our bedrooms. And yes, it’s only a matter of time before we will start having sex in the metaverse. What will it look like, and, most importantly, what will it feel like?

The rise of phone sex, the boom of OnlyFans, a rise in long-distance relationships between people in quarantine have all contributed to people being more interested in having sex online – and, well, the technology followed suit. So, now the experiences you will get out of your metaverse hookup will depend on two things: the infrastructure and tools you’re using and the budget you’re willing to spend on it.

Right now, you can incorporate vision and hearing (obviously) and VR headsets can give the user a perception of presence. Next step is haptics, and companies like Teslasuit offer special bodysuits that allow you feel another human’s touch on your skin (at the “moderate” price of $20,000). Another company, CTRL-labs has developed an armband device that records electrical activity from skeletal muscles and can pick up the tiniest gestures and reproduce them in a virtual world. The company was acquired by Meta (then Facebook) in 2015, so we can expect new development for technologies like this one.

Olfactometric development (something that can let you smell something) is also underway. Haptic technologies have developed significantly in the past couple of years and the main focus for developers was to get the technology to let users feel sensations inside of the mouth. The researchers at the Carnegie Melon University in the USA are actively working on letting users feel a sensation of drinking coffee, brushing teeth and, well, kissing. They are planning to reach the target by coupling haptic technology with VR headsets, so, in the next few years a perfect coffee date will be fully available online.

With the extensive research involved and the heavy investments we are expecting great things coming our way to make our sex lives more exciting in various formats. Stay posted for more updates!