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| Picture of a remote kissing device with a mouth module and silicon mouth./Newsfill blog |
The Remote Kiss technology simulates a real kiss between partners who are separated by distance. Using a smartphone app, it connects people and is attached to the phone.
As soon as it is set up, the device mimics the warmth, motion, and pressure of a kiss, according to a South China Morning Post report. To make the experience as lifelike as possible, it even contains silicon lips.
The device is believed to be able to simulate a real kiss by simulating the pressure, movement, and warmth of a user's lips thanks to pressure sensors and actuators.
The sound the user creates can also be transmitted along with the kissing motion.
Users must download an app for their phone and insert the device into the charging port of their phone in order to send a kiss. Couples can initiate a video conference and send each other copies of their smooches after matching with their partners through the app.
Video demonstrations of the device might be more persuasive even though it seems wonderful on paper. Not everyone views canoodling a piece of plastic that is connected to a phone as intimate. There is also no tongue.
Even so, the device has been selling on a Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao at a rate of more than 100 units every month for 260 yuan, or little less than $38, according to SCMP.
When given the chance to "surprise" their long-distance lovers, some consumers gave the gadget positive ratings. Reactions on social media ranged from supportive and hilarious to vulgar.
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| Newsfill blog/Image Source: Taobao |
According to SCMP, the feature on the gadget app that enables users to "upload" their kisses for other people to experience proved to be very contentious. According to critics, it was created with the adult entertainment market in mind.
The device's creator, Jiang Zhinglu, claimed he wanted to encourage monogamous unions.
Just two users can be connected at once, and for it to function, both users must agree.
"I had a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend at my university, so we only spoke on the phone. That's where this gizmo got its inspiration from, "China state-owned publication Global Times cited Jiang as having said.
The gadget reminds me of Kissenger, a comparable gizmo from 2016. A 2012 Big Bang Theory episode also featured the concept of a remote kissing gadget.
Jiang, who developed his concept while attending the Changzhou Vocational School of Mechatronic Technology, expressed amazement at the invention's viral success. Up until early this year, the institution had the device's patent.
The kissing apparatus can be useful for long-distance couples or people who are ill to retain intimacy. Nevertheless, as CNN notes, it might facilitate a chance encounter. There appears to be a feature in the device's corresponding phone app that allows users to find and start kissing strangers. Users can also post kisses online for others to enjoy.
What would it mean for concepts like the metaverse as technology like this tries to replicate the human experience? Although while the metaverse is still in its infancy and prioritises advertising stunts over genuine innovation, technology like this kissing device might, in a weird way, contribute to making virtual worlds more realistic.
