Let’s Get Physical

Denver-based physicist rides our wavelength with a groundbreaking new sex toy

There’s a physicist in Denver who makes sex toys. Think about that. There’s a gentlemen whose passion (and degree) rests in the relationship between our world and the way it reacts/responds with the physicalities therein … and he’s making sex toys for us in a lab off South Broadway. Kinky-sexy-cool, we know.

“Do you know what the Sybian is?” Dr. X. Treme — as he’s wont to be called — the CEO and co-founder of Orgasmatronics asks me, leaning back precariously in a chair, every bit as casual (yet kinda punk rock) as I wasn’t expecting. Because I watched the uncensored version of “The Howard Stern Show” as a youth, I was familiar with the knobby, vibrating saddle known as the Sybian. Many an *ahem* … upcoming porn starlet straddled the trembling crotch-cradle and momentarily lost her composure for our viewing pleasure.

“Well the Sybian’s huge. It’s expensive, it’s enormous, and it shakes the whole house.” He puts his chair back on all fours. “But people love it! They say, ‘It’s amazing! It’s intense, deep stimulation!’ But as a physics guy, I’m going, ‘Yeah, but do you really need that extra 30 pounds, and can we do all that without a gigantic motor?’”

He had an epiphany one evening watching some lesbian strap-on porn. (Haven’t we all?) “The way the strap-on is used is unlike any other sex toy — it’s a psychological extension of the body that serves as a body-metaphor,” he says. “A strap-on sort of … tricks the brain into sensation.” True to the ways of the scientist, the doc went after the next level: Why not, instead of tricking the brain into sensation, generate actual sensation during strap-on sessions? And why not make it interactive with your
sexual partner?

Thus, his brainchild, the Ambrosia Vibe, was placed on the operating table of the now-defunct Concoctory (see page 10 for deets on the former hackerspace) waiting for a monetary bolt of lightning. Thanks to IndieGogo, it struck … and the Ambrosia vibrated to life.

Here’s how it works: Running down the shaft of the bionic strap-on is a cavity that contains an internal tube. “Both are at atmospheric pressure, same as the pressure all around us,” the doc explains. The tube relays any sort of changes in pressure (touching, sucking, stroking, for examples) to a small computer attached to the strap-on’s harness. The computer, reading the speed and strength of contact, responds by vibrating directly in accordance. “Ultimately, it’s all just pressure changes on the outside of the dildo, which is what touch is.”

So let’s say you’re wearing the device and your lover gently strokes the shaft. In turn, you’re going to get a gentle vibration to your most sensitive bits in real time. Perhaps Lover is giving you a particularly zealous round of oral, you kinky things: The Ambrosia is going to send a strong, pulsing stream of shivers down your arching little spine.

During its research phase, Ambrosia testers raved … and so did the crowdsourcers. In its first week of fundraising on Indiegogo.com, the team at Orgasmatronics reached the necessary $32,000 to start production of the Ambrosia. At a consecutive $50,000, they were able to upgrade their harness to an Aslan Leather Stealth Harness that’s not only vegan, but BPA- and phthalate-free. “People in the know tell me Aslan is the best of the best,” he says. The Ambrosia itself is made of medical-grade silicone for the soft stuff, and ABS plastic for the hard stuff. “ABS is what legos are made of,” says Dr. X. At the time of printing, the campaign had more than doubled the amount they were asking for.

“I think it really speaks to the sexual diversity of the product,” he says, noting that it’s been his mission to reach across all aisles when developing the Ambrosia Vibe.

“This isn’t just for women,” Dr. X is quick to remind. “Men are becoming more comfortable being penetrated. This is a nice addition to any bedroom.” A really modern and chill guy, the doc is vindicated by the interest from the LGBT community. “The lesbian interest was obvious, but for transmen especially, I see this as beneficial.” Dr. X has given thought to a round-the-clock wearable apparatus that can go from soft to rigid on command, but is keeping that idea under his hat for now. He will hint that it has to do with the mesmerizing properties of liquid crystals, and credits the idea to another brilliant mind with a penchant for creation — the lovely Ma’Belle — but stops there.

The Ambrosia Vibe is available for pre-order, and Orgasmatronics plans to start shipping sometime in October. l

Learn more at orgasmatronics.com.