A new adult film plans to go boldly where no porno has gone before with a proposed a million-dollar project to create “the most epic sex adventure ever to be caught on tape” in space.
Pornhub, the Internet’s largest adult film portal, is seeking $3.4 million for Sexploration: a zero-gravity bonefest featuring industry favorites Eva Lovia and Johnny Sins. Given the site had more than 18 billion viewers in 2014 and an adult film is made in America every 30 minutes, it’s almost surprising that X-rated exploits have taken so long to reach the stratosphere.
“The concept of porn set in space is fascinating – I’m heartened by the creativity and thought that’s gone into it,” says Dr. Laura Berman, a sex therapist and author. “It’s a testament to the boundaryless-ness of the human imagination and what we can do with the right tools. I take it as a sign we’re releasing centuries-old sexual taboos and are more ready than ever before to reclaim our sexuality.”
With the rate of free porn consumption so high, the likelihood of viewers agreeing to shell out for astronomically-located (and priced) adult entertainment seems pretty slim, particularly given the “perks” contributors to the movie’s IndieGogo fund can expect. For $50,000, you can take home one of the film’s custom made props, while a $150,000 donation scores the generous supporter one of the spacesuits worn by Sexploration’s stars.
I’m no expert, but a donation equivalent to the deposit on a house solely yielding sweaty old space gear might leave people feeling somewhat shafted (pun fully intended). It’s also worth noting that the gravity issue would turn the set into a snowglobe after adult play and that could make for unpleasant viewing. Unless you’re into that.
This smutty space movie isn’t the first hint that our sexual tastes are becoming more futuristically inclined. A survey last year found that 20 per cent of people would get it on with an android, and the rapid proliferation of high-tech bedroom gadgets suggests the digital revolution hasn’t stopped at our computer screens. Let’s take one of the genre’s most recent additions, Lovely (yes, they named a penis accessory ‘Lovely’). It may resemble a silicone bottle opener but promises to transmogrify users’ sex lives, vibrating during the act and then sending data on your performance to your phone. It’s hard to believe an app could be a better judge of the sex you’re having than the person you’re doing it with, but this penile pedometer offers the added thrill of totting up how many calories you’ve burnt during the process.
If collecting data on the potency of your thrusts gets you hot under the collar, a new Apple feature designed to track sexual activity will drive your phone wild. Once iOS9 is rolled out in the fall, users will be able to note down the date of each dalliance and whether or not protection was used, which could, at the very least, lead to a reduction in ‘happy accidents’ (although if you can remember the time and date of your intimate moments, contraception probably shouldn’t be such a big ask).
There’s also the growing field of teledildonics—social sex toys that can be controlled by computers or fellow users across the globe. OhMiBod’s blueMotion—a remote controlled vibrator designed for e-stimulation—was launched by a former Apple employee; Mojowijo launched a sex toy that connects to your Wii, while Kiiroo facilitates long-distance relationships by merging video chat and touch into one platform.
Those still doubting the increasing prevalence of futuristic sex movement need only look to a recent profile in the typically-prude New York Times. The article, Sex Toys That Talk Back, profiles a company that makes life-size sex dolls that buyers can choose to customize from hair color to toe shape. The company is now in the midst of a new project it’s calling Realbotix, a goal of more or less turning the dolls into full on sex-robots.
“Technology has changed sex in massive ways, but I would definitely say the good outweighs the bad: it’s brought us closer together, enabling us to keep connections strong,” Dr Berman adds. “The downside is that there has been a tremendous increase in porn addiction and intimacy being usurped by digital options, but what people are really looking for is intensity: your main sexual organ is between your ears. That’s what will define a sexually satisfying experience, and no toy will ever reduce the need for human longing.”
When it comes to getting it on, then, the sky—or perhaps now the universe—really is the limit.