Robotic dildo banned from CES tech show
Organisers accused of sexism after citing rules against ‘immoral’ and ‘obscene’ products
The creators of a hi-tech robotic dildo have slammed the organisers of a major tech showcase as sexist after being banished from the convention.
Oregon start-up firm LoraDiCarlo had received an innovation award from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) for their sex toy, Osé.
Developed by a mostly female team of engineers, the “personal massager” employs “new micro-robotic technology that mimics all of the sensations of a human mouth, tongue, and fingers, for an experience that feels just like a real partner”, according to the firm’s CEO, Lora Haddock.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The team had planned to exhibit the product this week at the association’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), one of the year’s biggest tech events.
However, CES attendees curious to learn more about the Osé will have to turn to the internet, after convention organisers uninvited LoraDiCarlo from the exhibition and revoked their prize.
In a letter to the company, the association apologised for the “mistake”, citing rules against exhibiting products deemed “immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with the CTA’s image”.
In an open letter, Haddock railed against what she claimed to be double standards in the selection process, accusing the CTA of hypocrisy for rejecting a female-orientated sex gadget while accepting products geared towards male sexuality.
“A literal sex doll for men launched on the floor at CES in 2018 and a VR porn company exhibits there every year, allowing men to watch pornography in public as consumers walk by,” she wrote.
Vice’s tech website Motherboard notes that “last year, [CES] visitors could make their way to a separate room to demo virtual and augmented reality porn, and pole-dancing robots were an attraction at a nearby strip club”.
Meanwhile, Haddock wrote, female sexuality “is heavily muted if not outright banned”.
“You cannot pretend to be unbiased if you allow a sex robot for men but not a vagina-focused robotic massager for (women),” she added.
CTA spokeswoman Sarah Brown told tech news site TechCrunch that Osé “does not fit into any of our existing product categories and should not have been accepted for the Innovation Awards Program”.
She added: “We have apologised to the company for our mistake.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech critic Brendan Carr is Trump's FCC pick
In the Spotlight The next FCC commissioner wants to end content moderation practices on social media sites
By David Faris Published
-
ATACMS, the long-range American missiles being fired by Ukraine
The Explainer President Joe Biden has authorized their use for the first time in the war
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The bacterial consequences of hurricanes
Under the radar Floodwaters are microbial hotbeds
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How cybercriminals are hacking into the heart of the US economy
Speed Read Ransomware attacks have become a global epidemic, with more than $18.6bn paid in ransoms in 2020
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Language-learning apps speak the right lingo for UK subscribers
Speed Read Locked-down Brits turn to online lessons as a new hobby and way to upskill
By Mike Starling Published
-
Brexit-hobbled Britain ‘still tech powerhouse of Europe’
Speed Read New research shows that UK start-ups have won more funding than France and Germany combined over past year
By Mike Starling Published
-
Playing Cupid during Covid: Tinder reveals Britain’s top chat-up lines of the year
Speed Read Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Dominic Cummings among most talked-about celebs on the dating app
By Joe Evans Last updated
-
Brits sending one less email a day would cut carbon emissions by 16,000 tonnes
Speed Read UK research suggests unnecessary online chatter increases climate change
By Joe Evans Published
-
Reach for the Moon: Nokia and Nasa to build 4G lunar network
Speed Read Deal is part of the US space agency’s plan to establish human settlements on the lunar surface
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
iPhone 12 launch: what we learned from the Apple ‘Hi, Speed’ event
Speed Read Tech giant unveils new 5G smartphone line-up
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Russian agency behind US election meddling ‘created fake left-wing news site’
Speed Read Facebook says real reporters were hired by fake editors to write about US corruption
By Holden Frith Published