Slate.com’s Amanda Hess attended January’s XBIZ 360° Pleasure Products Conference to discover the upcoming trends in sex toy design and mainstream convergence, and spotlights the event’s visionary keynote speaker Jimmyjane founder Ethan Imboden in a recent article.
The article “The Vibrator of the Future Is Already Here” highlights some of the hot topics that arose through-out the day-long slate of panel discussions, including the aesthetics and functions that consumers are most drawn to.
hello touch offers more than three times the power of the most common fingertip vibrators while taking up less than one third the volume.
At the forefront of innovative pleasure product design is Jimmyjane, whose founder and chief creative officer spoke on the “iToy: Hottest Trends in Sex Toy Design and Technology” panel and delivered the conference’s keynote address. In his presentation, Imboden discussed his company’s history creating pleasure products based on futuristic, sci-fi inspired concepts.
According to the article, “In a one-hour slideshow presentation, Imboden unveiled a different view on how the sex industry will change in the next few years: It will be flooded with entrepreneurs with ‘no prior experience in the category,’ who ‘see their outsider’s perspective as an asset,’ and are lush with venture capital. Imboden clicked through to a headshot of himself. He clicked again, and the headshot replicated, filling the screen with more and more photos of his face. ‘It’s the invasion of the Ethans,’ he told the crowd. The future of the sex industry looks like him.”
Hailing from the mainstream product design world, Imboden designed everything from toothbrushes to computers and cellphones, before he founded Jimmyjane. In his keynote, Imboden discussed entering the industry with an intent to produce a high-quality, design-focused pleasure item, being balked at and ultimately taking his brand directly to the mainstream.
“Now, when Imboden unveils new products, the industry listens,” says the Slate article. “When we talk about ‘crossover’ successes in the adult industry, we tend to focus on people like Sasha Grey and James Deen, industry professionals who are so personally successful that they break out of the X-rated world to gain acceptance in the mainstream. But when a mainstream pro like Imboden turns his eye to sex, the entire industry gains a level of respect. Imboden could be designing computers, but instead he’s designing sex toys. That recommends using sex toys as a legitimate pursuit.”
Jimmyjane’s latest release was unveiled at the ANME Founders Show that immediately preceded the XBIZ 360° conference series.
The hello touch is a vibrator that’s worn on the fingers to enhance natural touch. It is the first in the new hello line of Adaptable Vibrators, the company says.
hello touch features a pair of compact Vibration Pods, each enclosed in a supple silicone fingerpad. When worn on the hand, the pods resonate, putting the power of dual motors at the fingertips.
“hello touch is wonderfully intuitive,” said Chief Creative Officer and Founder Ethan Imboden. “You touch naturally but get supernatural results — there’s nothing to learn, and everything to discover.”
According the company, recent studies underscore the logic behind Jimmyjane’s new vibrator design, including a study showing that up to 75 percent of women require clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm. Additionally, 87 percent of women masturbate with their hands, versus much smaller percentages using vibrators, shower heads and other approaches; and 78 percent of women who use a vibrator have used them with their partners.
hello touch offers more than three times the power of the most common fingertip vibrators while taking up less than one third the volume, the company said. It can be used for internal or external stimulation, and can be worn on the index finger and forefinger to stroke and explore, or on the thumb and forefinger to grasp and squeeze. The Vibration Pods can be positioned on the front of the fingers for direct contact, or on the back to expose the fingertips for increased tactile feedback, and midway down the fingers, or both on a single finger.
The hello touch is designed for use by women, men and couples and has a suggested retail price of $65.
“hello touch is truly a vibrator for all,” notes Imboden. “We’ve created it for everyone who likes to touch or be touched.”
