“Teledildonic” sex toys allowing lovers to spice up their long-distance relationship could be of use for astronauts during lengthy missions, including ones to Mars, The Daily Star reports. The British outlet suggested that although this aspect of astronauts’ separation from their loved ones might have been overlooked, the couples, split by space trips, could still maintain their sex lives with the help of technology that relies on an Internet connection for their mutual pleasure.
Despite some engineering challenges needed to be solved to adjust existing devices for use in space, Kiiroo, an Amsterdam-based sex toy manufacturer, has volunteered to assist NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
“It’s absolutely crucial that astronauts are given the technology they need to remain stimulated and happy. We don’t want to be in a situation where we hear: ‘Houston – we forgot the vibrators’”, Kiiroo’s Chief Technology Officer Maurice Op de Beek said, voicing a desire to donate their devices to NASA or Elon Musk.
Neither NASA nor Elon Musk has reacted to the offer yet, but the sex toy company is already mulling over solving technical issues.
According to Maurice Op de Beek, their tech could be adjusted for space challenges and help travellers have interactive sex with their loved ones. The International Space Station already has a 600 megabit-per-second (Mbps) connection; thus, there is bandwidth that can be used for “non-essential” traffic.
“I’m sure it would be possible to get a connection from the International Space Station. Understandably, there would be a huge lag, but it would be possible because the infrastructure for that connection has already been developed. It would be a great way for astronauts to stay connected to their loved ones at home”, the CTO said.
While there is no problem when it comes to providing devices for both genders, as the company has both toys for males and interactive vibrators in store, zero gravity presents some difficulties for using regular lubricants. One possible decision is solid lube placed inside a device that melts from body heat. However, as the outlet points out, cleaning up using a suction device after a digital date will still be needed.
