Sexuality is evolving rapidly and will take us beyond our limits of space, time and body. But will we still be able to remain human?

Thousands of apps like Tinder, Happn, Grindr or online dating sites , technology marches against loneliness. By now, even genetics is enlisted to help us figure out who we should spend the rest of our lives with. While the revolution of finding a romantic partner (real or platonic) electronically is unfolding before our eyes, the impact of technology in the bedroom has not been as immediate. But if technology permeates the entire terrain of human relationships, why should sex and sexuality be an exception?

Sexuality and technology, the next de facto couple

Art and literature are always ahead in imagining our future. On the subject of video sexuality and sex robots, some films have already speculated on the turning point of the “new sexual world.” In the 2001 film “AI,” Jude Law played a robot gigolo programmed to make love. In “Her,” Spike Jonze’s beautiful 2013 love story Joaquin Phoenix was having virtual sex with an AI operating system. In “ Ex Machina ”, in 2015, Alicia Vikander’s character was a robot capable of interpreting and responding to feelings, as well as manipulating people.

From attempts to transmit touch and feelings at a distance, through virtual reality ready to conquer the porn industry, there is a clear trend that points towards a new coexistence between sexuality and technology . And at the dawn of a new sexual revolution we need to understand how technology can occupy the most intimate area of our lives.

The New Telepresence

I don’t think anyone will be surprised that in the U.S., a Statistics Brain Institute study found that 39% of American teens (13-19) and 59% of young adults (20-26) use their phones for sexting. What if these devices transmitted not only images and sounds, but also touch and smell?

Companies are working on olfactory “printing.” A technology that in the future could lead to celebrities spreading (and even “bottling” and selling) their natural scent for the greater pleasure of their fans. A splash of Jennifer Lawrence or Ryan Gosling? On the subject of touch, there’s a device called the Hug Shirt that allows people to send hugs from a distance, like a sort of tactile text message. You can decide the strength, duration, skin warmth and heart rate of the sender. Actuators then recreate the same tactile sensation on the shirt worn at a distance. And what about a 2011 video that promised a way to send “French-style” kisses from a distance? The visionary who envisioned such a thing claims that in the future, celebrity kisses could be purchased and shared by users.

The next level: virtual and augmented reality

It’s pretty much obvious that virtual reality will give the 2D porn experience a new dimension. With augmented reality, on the other hand, we could find digital images on real-life scenarios in the future. Online multiplayer and highly realistic 3D sex games are not as far away as we imagine. There are already programs like Second Life and Red Light Center that allow you to create avatars and “have sex” with other avatars.

Nothing new: porn has always been at the forefront of the technological revolution.

The sex toy of the future will be a robot

Hiroshi Ishiguro, inventor and robotics expert, says the world’s most sophisticated sex robots will be part of our daily lives by 2050. They will be receptionists, language teachers, museum guides and… sex toys. A report by futurologist Ian Pearson speculates that by 2050 human-robot sex will be more common than human-human sex.

I would categorically rule that out, but is there any chance of that happening? Given the state of technology, in theory it could. You’ll hear more and more about one of the most unconventional inventions in the universe: teledildonics. It involves sex toys controlled by a remote user or software, and is the antechamber to robotic pleasure machines. I can already imagine the headline of a future newspaper: “woman sues company for breaking her leg having sex with robot”. What will happen?

Let’s take the “high-tech paradise,” Japan, where the disturbing trend for their young people to lose their interest in sex is already causing some serious social problems. It should come as no surprise that Japanese companies are already working on robots that users can have sex with. If these robots can mimic sex in a satisfying way, perhaps those who already have difficulty forming relationships in real life will opt for them. Some sex robots, like the silicone and metal TrueCompanion , already detect the user’s movements and voice and react accordingly. RealDoll makes AI-powered adult dolls that, the company says, can replace real-life conversations. Yes. How not.