Between the high-tech, small and powerhouse options available, there are almost too many sex toys to choose from. And they are great. But it cannot be overlooked that they still cannot compare to skin-on-skin contact. Well, given that, researchers in the United States about a few years ago, thought to alter. However, that could never have come into action. On August 17, 1998, three men applied for a patent that intended to include the awesomely named umbrella of teledildonics. To be precise, these toys let long-distance partners “feel” each other in real time through data-enabled devices. It is officially expired. But there are no chances of sex toys being free because it was never launched. August 17, 2018, marks the end to what it seems complicated 20-year-old relationship between teledildonics and patent law.

Researchers, Warren J. Sandvick, Jim Hughes and David Atkinson, named their patent, “Method and device for interactive virtual control of sexual aids using digital computer networks.” Sandvick is the president of the Texas company called HasSex, which clearly seems to exist for the U.S. Patent No. 6,368,268. Since the patent was filed, it was commonly named as “the teledildonics patent.” Motherboard reports that patents like this one, which aims at how something works, not how it appears; generally have a term of 20 years. 'Henry,' a Sex Robot That Recites Poetry is Going to be Launched Soon, What are the Pros and Cons of Owning a Sex Bot? 

Teledildonics developer Kyle Machulis was quoted in the same report as saying, “This basically opens up another vector for sex tech business. People will be able to make hardware that can be controlled over the internet, and will have less to worry about in terms of legal repercussions due to patent coverage of the field. That said, they still have to worry about the legal aspects of storage and transfer of sensitive data, as well as building interfaces that people can have sex through.” Did Vibrator and Sex Toy Sales Increase After Kiara Advani’s and Swara Bhaskar's Masturbation Scene in Lust Stories and Veere Di Wedding. 

Well, it seems Machulis sensed the accurate thing. A Japanese company named Kiiroo launched a bi-directional teledildonics; sort of similar idea. It allows a different sex jar connect with a flashlight, essentially a masturbator and can send and even receive signals from a remote dildo. Meanwhile, Stephanie Alys, co-founder and Chief Pleasure officer of Mystery Vibe notes that instead of rushing into it, the researchers should be patient to test out the functionalities ‘until the right sort of innovation is executed.’

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2018 11:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).