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Aug 11, 2023

This inventor aims to make mind

MyroslavaPavlyk/iStock By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time. A new report by Slate published on Saturday is highlighting the work of Brian Sloan

MyroslavaPavlyk/iStock

By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time.

A new report by Slate published on Saturday is highlighting the work of Brian Sloan an inventor who is seeking to make the first-ever mind-controlled sex toys.

“I’m always reading about what is happening in technology,” Sloan told Slate. “They’re making sunglasses that have Bluetooth speakers in them. Elon Musk is developing Neuralink. I don’t know what’s coming for people’s brains. That’s not my field. But I do know that if I offered people a sex toy that you could operate without touching any buttons, that seems like an obvious thing people would want to use.”

Sloan has already invented a machine for mechanical blowjobs called Autoblow so mind-controlled sex toys do not seem like a far stretch for the ingenious inventor. However, this task is much more complicated than his previous innovations.

To achieve his noteworthy goal, Sloan is using electroencephalography, or EEG, a method traditionally used to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain.

So far, scientists hired by Sloan have run tests on two subjects with EEG sensors synced up to an Autoblow. The Autoblow is controlled by thinking of moving one's arms and legs. It can go faster or slower depending on which movement the test subject thinks of.

The invention is controversial to say the least and one has to wonder how popular it will be. Slate reports that Sloan claims that he’s already sold over 400,000 Autoblows which means his next endeavor could be just as profitable.

But is it wise to remove the human element out of sexual interactions? Sex is most notably about human connection and without a partner the invention may not be as appealing as Sloan would think.

However, some experts have argued that machines will soon replace humans in sexual activities.

In July of 2023, speaking to YouTube host Tom Bilyeu of the “Impact Theory” podcast, a former senior executive at Google warned of the danger that artificial intelligence-powered sex robots may soon replace human partners.

Google’s research-and-development arm X's former chief business officer Mo Gawdat explained that there was a strong possibility that virtual reality and augmented reality headsets, like Apple’s Vision Pro or Quest 3, could soon be used to simulate sex.

“You know, that’s actually quite messy,” he said. “It’s all signals in your brain that you enjoy companionship and sexuality, and — if you really want to take the magic out of it — it can be simulated.”

Some may argue that sex toys can be used to deter loneliness.

However, in 2018, a team of doctors from the UK released a report noting that sex robots would not reduce feelings of loneliness and may actually worsen them.

“It remains unproven that intimacy ‘needs’ will be satisfied: there could be worsened distress,” the doctors wrote. “While a human may genuinely desire a sexbot, reciprocation can only be artificially mimicked.”

Where does that leave Sloan’s mind-controlled toy? The invention may prove less popular and more controversial than the inventor would hope. After all, who wants to have sex alone?