We are 3 employees from Kiiroo, a Dutch interactive sex tech company. Ask us anything!

Do you have any quality control positions available?

We do actually! Check out all our open positions here https://www.feelrobotics.com/careers

How do you handle the security on your devices? Since the start, IOT devices have usually been very vulnerable to cyber attacks, how do you address such threats in your products?

Currently our bluetooth devices are not wifi enabled - which makes them impossible to reach when not in close proximity. Also, we enable users to easily update the devices' firmware via our mobile app. So any firmware related security issues can easily be remedied.
We also have ethical hackers testing our products and services to proactively limit the vulnerabilities.

Teledildonics seems like a word you’d see in a spoof of a Terminator movie. Like: “Teledildonic Systems developed the Skynet Cyberdong which turned on the humans in 2032”.

An plans to work with AI?

Absolutely! Many interesting developments are going on in that area. We're not yet ready to share specifics on that topic but expect your toys to be even more responsive, intimate and interactive in the next couple of months.

Whats the most advanced thing you guys are capable of making right now, and what does the future hold?

We're super proud of our realtime haptic communication technology. This enables partners to feel each other in real time from anywhere in the world, but is not limited to duo's... So you can have many-to-many interactions with an unlimited number of people! Next up is making big improvements to VR compatibility of toys, which is something that we already support, but will become a lot more enjoyable soon.

That seems like something that has plenty of potential use cases, not just for sex toys. Loneliness is a bigger problem today than it has ever been, and your tech seems like it might offer some benefit there (even platonically). Have you considered exploiting the tech for non-sexual use cases?

Definitely! We already have the HEY bracelet - which is a non-sexual device you can use to send touch to your partner to let them know you are thinking about them. This device has been used in research too, to see what can be done to improve loneliness and relations. Much more interesting applications to come!

Who came up with the term "teledildonics"? What was the process like?

The term "teledildonics" was coined in 1975 by an American Tech Pioneer Ted Nelson. It basically means long-distance & internet connected.

Will they include an autopilot mode? So when you are done you can turn on the autopilot then go watch TV or take a nap without interrupting the other person.

Yes - there will be many ways to do this. You could just turn it on and let your partner enjoy, or you could record a pattern for them to enjoy at a time that suits them. This is especially useful when you are in a long-distance relationship on other sides of the world.

How much data do you harvest from the products you sell to people? And do you sell it to data brokers?

From the toys themselves we only monitor connection counts, and we don't sell any data to brokers.

How do you test stuff out?

Before real people try out the toys, our engineering department does lots of mechanical and electronics testing. Then, our development team ensures the hardware and software (mobile and web apps that enable communication between partners and media) work together perfectly. Finally, we send samples to our test users and ask them for feedback. And we like to take home toys from time to time too :)

What kind of exercises does your company use for team building?

If you are talking about activities we do for team building, we like to have weekly (sometimes daily) drinks together. We just celebrated Christmas 2021 two weeks ago (covid regulations pushed it back)- you can check it out on tiktok! Other than that, we often have picnics, boat trips in the summer, and one of our favorites - "international food days" where we all bring food from our home countries to share with one another! We have more than 17 different nationalities in our office so we pride ourselves on getting to know one another and our roots!

There are hundreds of machines that women can buy that are entirely hands free to the point that someone with severe mobility issues below the elbows can still have a great time.

Do you see the same style of Sybian-esque product offering coming to a male clientele, where you could go from flaccid to orgasm without lifting a finger? Many “male mastabatory aids” end up being a bullet vibrator wrapped in a silicon taco, or a fleshlight with bullet vibe.

I’d happily drop $1000 on a Sybian style machine that I could use without ever needing to touch, literally plug and play.

If not, what practicalities cause the largest issue in creating this style of machine and what is Kiiroo doing to resolve them?

We have partnered with Hot Octopuss to make the Pulse Solo interactive. This is an amazing device that uses PulsePlate technology to induce an erection and orgasm - even for paralyzed men. A man can easily place the device on/over a flaccid penis. Even if an erection is not possible, the sensation is still enjoyable.
Our Keon automatic masturbator also has a number of accessories (neck strap, hand strap, pillow) that were created to let users use our products handsfree too.
We are also partnered with "The Cowgirl" which offers an interactive saddle much like the sybian but with awesome interactive capabilities like the rest of the Kiiroo product range.

What contortions of language and behavior do you need to perform to avoid sexual harassment at work, without stifling creative and innovating discussions about your products?

You'd be surprised how easy it is to discuss sex in a strictly professional way. We are not talking about ourselves and our colleagues but about toys and our users, so that actually makes it pretty easy to be professional about it.

When did the sex tech industry start gaining traction, and what made it really take off?

We'd like to say when we came on the scene in 2015 ;) but there have been loads of great technologies popping up since the 90's! We were doing really well before covid hit, but not surprisingly, when covid hit and the world went into lockdown, Kiiroo & many other companies alike saw a huge increase in demand for our interactive technology! The world experienced what it was like to be isolated and separated from their lovers, partners and friends, so this was the point where sex tech really became normalised in many households around the world.

Which programming languages do you use in the backend?

Python mainly.

You must have some funny bug tickets or user stories, share some?

We do! We get a lot of dick pics, especially on Instagram DMs! Some people must not be aware we are a company and not a person :) As for funny user stories, we would love to share them, but because we love our customers very much and appreciate your questions and suggestions, we cannot openly share those stories.

I gotta say what a crazy futuristic world we live in that this is a thing! You mention that your company specialises in technology for facilitating connections via the internet, however would the same technology be appliccable to people using this by themselves along with VR/adult games? if so, what is the bigger/ more competitive market?

Absolutely! Our API's are already used by partners that build their own interactive experiences (in VR and other spaces). They can use our technology to make basically anything interactive and we see more and more people doing so.

What is your opinion of Bassie en Adriaan? Would you agree it was the pinnacle of television?

Answer from the only Dutchie here: i didn't have anything else to watch, so i watched it!

how far are we from real androids?

How do we know we're not already there?

First of all, thanks for the AMA!

What are some of the more interesting technical challenges you had to solve?

I'm assuming low latency must be one of your focuses to make the experience enjoyable, how do you solve that on a global scale?

Latency indeed is one of the main challenges we had to solve, and reliably connecting devices to the internet in general. We have gone through many solutions, always keeping up with latest developments. Started with a desktop app and now we have good mobile apps, but WebBluetooth is becoming more relevant. Another challenge was that because our library is used by some of the biggest content sites in the world, we had to ensure stability for these huge numbers of visitors. And another (bit less technical) challenge is how to make sure we do not have our apps get kicked out of stores because of the nature of our work...

Would you ever consider making sexual video games to work with and without devices?

We are not in the business of creating content ourselves, but many platforms that use our technology are. We are seeing a lot of interesting game-like applications emerge where users can control each other or themselves by playing games.

I feel like I’m pretty average size for an American. I’ve got two Kiiroo products and yet and I’m not satisfactorily long enough for either. Do you hear this at all from the American side, or is it just me?

Different people have different preferences, anatomy, fantasies, etc. We all come in different shapes and sizes, regardless of our nationality or origin. Sex toys and what pleasures us are different for everyone. When purchasing, take a look at size guides and if its for our strokers, choose a stroker that has a tighter tunnel, this might help you enjoy more!

Do you sell shares?

Currently, we do not sell shares to the public. We do have a group of investors that have shares in our company. If you would like to inquire about investing, please contact [email protected]

Do you see a niche for using your technology with haptic foley/prerecorded sequences, or biofeedback driven interactive experiences without the need for a remote "partner"?

Absolutely - interactive content is rapidly rising in popularity and is offered by some of the biggest platforms already. Looking into the future, we can see AI generated haptic (audio)visual experiences become an interesting niche as there are probably pleasures out there we can't even imagine ourselves (yet).

How does the government regulate what is and isn't too sexual like an advertisement?

What government are you referring to? Every country has their own laws for advertising in general, so let us know which country you'd like to know about and if we have any experience advertising there, we can give you an answer!

How big do you think the first lawsuit will be when your machine accidentally destroys someone's genitalia?

We're not worried about that - all our toys are certified and comply to the safety regulations. Also, they are tested for many hours to ensure they keep performing as they should.

Do you accept new workers?

Of course! Please visit our career website

There’s a pretty big spectrum when it comes to size. What is your long term strategy to deal with that? Do you design for the median? Segment products?

Yep, there is a very big spectrum when it comes to size. For penises - our Onyx+ product, we have 1 size fits most, based on the average penis size in our largest markets. For our other products; Titan and Feel Stars Strokers, we have created these products with varying sizes, and in order to guide our customers on which product might be best suited for their size, we go through extensive user testing and research prior to launch, and expressly communicate the sizes on our website.
For Vulvas - we use a standard measurement for our G-spot products. They are tested by a range of different vulva owners and we know one things for certain, size doesn't matter, its the power that counts ;)
For the butts: Lumen was our first butt plug, and we created it primarily for webcam and discreet public play, so it needed to be small enough to wear comfortable for a long time, while still reaching the various pressure points to ensure the user has a great time! This product was tested on all genders for size reference!

how do you advertise your products outside of the obvious portals?

- Museums: Our products can be found in approx 3 museums around the world!
- Product placement on TV: you can find our products placed in some TV shows!
- NSFW reviews: you can find real people using our products online on webcam, pornhub and any other NSFW platform
- Physical shows: We also attend numberous B2B and B2C physical shows around the world every year, so you can find us in person showing off our tech!

video demonstration at your office?

We actually have a TikTok account where we share a lot of videos from our office life at Kiiroo. Find us here

How does one become a product tester? 💕

Check out our subReddits r/Kiiroo and r/Feelstars for testing and social media influencer opportunities!

are you getting ordered by your boss to do this AMA and how was the selection process?

Hahaha definitely not! We get a ton of questions through support and on our subreddit and discord channels, so we figured we'd give our community the chance to ask us what they want in real-time!

What's your favourite potato based dish?

We're from The Netherlands so I'll let you guess 😆

Serious question, are you working on smell-o-vision? Scent is probably our most emotionally connected sense.

We are not, but our friends over at Camsoda have done this https://www.camsoda.com/products/ohroma/

How do I buy stock in your company?

How do I buy stock in your company?

Currently, we do not sell shares to the public. We do have a group of investors that have shares in our company. If you would like to inquire about investing, please contact [email protected]

I don't know how the toys work but what would happen if two people wearing the toys had sex irl while the toys are on?

It depends what products are being used! We have a butt plug - Lumen that can be worn during sex. For the other products, we don't think you would be able to successfully have sex with them on as the Keon for instance covers the entire penis.

When people are wearing the toys it would be very difficult - if not impossible - for them to have their genitals touch each other.

Asking for a friend... Does the penis pump come in different sizes, like extra small?

We don't make penis pumps

"Teledildonics." Couldn't that describe soooooo many things? Like FOX News, for example.

Hope this helps

You're company is not good for humanity. Do you realize that???

This is subjective. We work in many different corners of the world and many of our users are separated by distance in their relationships, or are faced with physical impediments that make intimacy more difficult. Sex toys, and technology will never replace human intimacy, but act as an aid alongside our our daily life.