AMSTERDAM — Dutch entrepreneur Toons Timmermans has launched a tech-forward sex toy that aims to connect couples — and strangers — across digital time and space.
“Normally, people on the Internet see and hear each other — it’s two-dimensional,” Timmermans told Vocativ .“But now you can feel each other. That’s the third dimension.”
The signature product, Kiiroo, which shares the namesake of the company, functions similar to AEBN’s now-defunct RealTouch device, with two devices that conform to the male and female respective anatomy.
According to Vocativ, both devices are equipped with eight sensors and accelerometers that measure speed and distance and are tethered together via the Kiiroo platform online. In theory, the movements made with one device (i.e., thrust speed and depth) will be felt by the other — across sea, land and cyberspace.
Altough the product can very much be used by established couples, what sets Timmermans’ product apart from similar products is that the Kiiroo will have its very own social (hookup) network, akin to Chatroulette.
“I like physical interaction as well,” Timmermans said. “But why do you think Snapchat is so big? Because people are sending pictures over the Internet. People are sending erotic pictures that are gone after a couple of seconds. We can’t ignore the fact that people are searching to be more intimate in a digital way.”
And, at $219 for the male Kiiroo and $69 for the female version, digital intimacy is totally obtainable for the average Chatrouletter.
Inspired by a failed relationship, Timmermans started Kiiroo in April 2013 in Amsterdam as an antidote to the rebound bar scene. He has has since grown the company to nine employees and will be stopping by the XBIZ 360 Adult Retail conference later this week to showcase his wares.
To check out the sleek, interactive website for Kiiroo, click here.
