Tomorrow’s Programmable Matter Sextoys Will Be Everything We Want—Whenever We Want It

M. Christian
5 Min Read

Say hello to a world of infinitely adaptable smart plastic pleasure devices

If things continue the way there are now—and there’s lots of evidence that they will—in a few years we may be seeing a whole range of objects with the ability to become practically anything.

From fabrics resembling metal or even wood, these smart materials will be able to change color, shape. and even texture. They’ll be able to morph into whatever we’ll need in an instant.

The sexual possibilities, to put it lightly, could be tremendous.

Welcome to the world of programmable matter

Currently, the state of programmable matter is still in its infancy. But researchers are optimistic that with forthcoming breakthroughs, we will soon be seeing a transformable future.

There is a range of approaches to creating substances that can be altered on command. One way is using electromagnetic fields to interact with materials suffused with ferromagnetic particles. Turn on the juice and the stuff could take on an array of useful shapes.

Another approach is what is called claytronics: basically a form of nanotechnology where a substance is mostly made up of atom-sized machines.

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Then there’s the idea of smart plastics. Here the idea is the material would, after receiving a programmed command, expand or contract like artificial muscles. There’s even the possibility it could change color using something like the synthetic version of an octopus’s chromatophores, microscopic dots of color that can be switched on and off to create almost any hue desired.

A shape-changing future

The implications for programmable matter are astounding. Why have a whole toolbox when you can one nanotech device that can become whatever you need when you need it?

Why have a wardrobe full of clothes when a single garment can shift from summer to winter wear at a moment’s notice? Why have a house full of gadgets when one programmable blob of plastic can transform into anything on command? Why have a dressing that needs to be adjusted and changed when you can have a bandage that not only monitors your injury, but applies or decreases pressure and heat to optimize healing?

True, some of this is probably some decades away. But even extrapolating only a few years ahead, the potential for programmable materials is still intriguing—especially when it comes to programmable materials and sex.

The ultimate sex toy

For one thing, imagine a sex toy smart enough not just to learn what you like but also be able to become what you need. Smoothly, seamlessly, it could gain or loose texture, get warmer or colder, or expand or contract by reading your level of arousal.

A programmable matter sexbot could, when not in use, look like a generic figure. But switched on it could morph into a lifelike copy of whoever or whatever you want.

Let’s say you have a long-distance lover. They hook up to a transmission system and connect your robot’s sensory input to wherever they might be. In response, your bot’s smart plastic outer covering becomes a facsimile of their real self—or whatever you and they decide would be fun to play with that day.

As the tech grows even more advanced, it’s possible that our clothing—in addition to being able to change style on a whim—could become a form of wearable sex tech. Feeling amorous? The very fabric you are wearing could contract, expand, or actually even move in a way to scratch that itch.

And, beyond even that, there might be an age when many humans have become cyborgs; replacing their original organic organs with programmable matter parts. For them, their genitals could be whatever they desired them to be, for whatever sex they wanted to have. It would be an age of nearly limitless possibilities—limited only by imagination.

The only certainty is change

While it’s unclear exactly what form the materials of the near and far future may take, one thing is certain: with the way things are going, it will be a world where the only definite thing is that it will be changeable.

Image sources: Depositphotos

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M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex. Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.” Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian. As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2. M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise. Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex. If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro. M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.
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