BERKELEY, Calif.—The Lioness—developed by a team of entrepreneurs at Skydeck, an incubator for startups on the campus of University of California, Berkeley—is a unique vibrator and app combination that lets users learn from their sexual experiences.
The rabbit-style vibrator is equipped with force sensors that track pelvic floor movements (vaginal contractions) to collect data on arousal and orgasm, while an accelerometer and gyroscopes—the same types of sensors used in smartphones—allow the app to track how the vibrator was used during a play session. The Lioness also has temperature sensors to follow the core body temperature over time.
“There’s been so little research into sex since the 1980s,” explained Anna Lee, who co-created Lioness with Liz Klinger. “We’ve put almost four years of research and development into the Lioness, making sure that every bit of technology it uses has a purpose. We look at it as a self-experimentation tool that lets users find out more about their bodies, their likes and dislikes and more.”
After each session with the Lioness, users can link it to their smartphone to download the data and see a graphic representation of what their orgasm looks like. The app also allows users to write notes about their experiences. That, combined with the data collected from the Lioness, can be used to see how pleasure is affected by any number of factors, including stress, hormone levels, sleep (or lack thereof), etc.
Lee noted that during the years of research and development, the team also worked to ensure all data is encrypted and anonymous.
“Users can share the graphs of their orgasms with others, if they like, but even at the company we do not know what data belongs to whom,” Lee said.
But it’s not just the orgasms that are tracked: the arousal and recovery periods are included in the data. Over time, users can see everything from what time of the month or what time of the day their experiences are more intense, to what settings are preferred and for how long.
The Lioness also boasts three customizable vibration settings. It is battery-operated, water-resistant and safe for use with water-based lubricants.
Lioness retails for $229 at Lioness.io, and ships anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.
