HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -
As the future of technology creeps forward, the adult
industry continues to be its proud leader. Saturday's "Future
Tech" panel discussed the wild world of virtual sex and also
demonstrated a sexy product that might just bring men to
their knees.
In the brave, new world of sex tech, users literally can
"reach out and touch someone," and that has the potential to
make the Internet as hot for the adult industry as it was in
'95, according to attorney Greg
Piccionelli. He urged adult entrepreneurs to lay the
groundwork now for opportunities that may not be fully
realized for 10-12 years.
"A technology revolution is emerging," Piccionelli said. "There are a number of new innovations coming out soon. Haptics, or touch technology - sensing, digitizing and regenerating the sense of touch - should hit the adult industry first because it monetizes new innovations faster than the mainstream."
Piccionelli is involved with a company working not only with haptics, but also with truly expressive avatars. "The problem with svatar technology now is that the characters are emotionless," he said. "We are now able to allow the user to utilize the camera on their computer to take photos, track their facial features and transfer it onto the Avatar character. This will open up a whole new audience of Internet users."
Regina Lynn, the sex-and-technology columnist for Wired, added she believes the world of virtual sex is going to take off rapidly because every new generation is increasingly comfortable with communicating their sexual desires and combining them with technology. "The [adult] industry must follow the trends and produce new technology to keep up with the teenagers [as they become adults], and it must learn how to market to them. It also must market to women more."
Piccionelli agreed. "People have to adapt to the new technology and roll with the changes," he said. "My advice is to make sure - in addition to all the other rights you protect - you also protect digital actor rights."
Virtual Reality Innovations Inc. Chief Executive Officer Eric J. White has developed more immediate applications of sex tech: a virtual reality sexual-simulation system called the Virtual Sex Machine. "Everyone has the same dream of being able to create the perfect woman, and that dream is slowly coming true with technology," White said. "When you make a product like this, you have to market it well - meaning you have to reach out and grab a man by his... senses. You have to grab his attention and give him what he wants, when he wants it, without the stalling or interruption that often happens online."
As always, with the positive come a few negatives. For instance, if a man pays a woman for virtual sex, is that prostitution? Will "hooking up" in the virtual world increase or decrease infidelity? What are the risks of "pseudo-relationships" that exist entirely in virtual worlds, and what bounds should define them?
"These are the issues that will be attacked by the religious right, and we need to look out for ourselves," Piccionelli said.
