A Virtual Reality Fantasy: Better Tech For Virtual Spankings
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the fetish most in need of improved haptic technology is the spanking fetish. (Pro tip: whenever somebody borrows the “truth universally acknowledged” trope from Jane Austin, you can bet that the “truth” in question is as far from universally acknowledged as it is possible for a proposition to be.)
The thing about VR porn is that in its current technological incarnation, it’s primarily an audiovisual technology. No matter how persuasive the visuals in your headset, and no matter how convincing the sound track, you can’t touch, feel, smell, or taste the action. That’s all right; it still works, because the human brain is genuinely amazing at extrapolating an experience from an incomplete set of sensory input. Which is why we can trace the history of successful VR spanking porn all the way back to the 19th century, with a technology as simple as stereo cards (think Viewmasters made out of wood, with porn in them):
How much more amazing would it be, though, if you could feel the spanking you were seeing and hearing in your virtual reality headset?
I gloss over, here, the merely practical directorial difficulties. VR porn is often “point of view” porn, and from the perspective of a spankee, a POV face down in the pillows doesn’t always offer a good visual show. But that’s an artistic challenge. A good director will find a way. Mirrors, maybe?
No, for at least as long as virtual reality has existed, the idea of improving the experience by adding the dimension of touch has refused to go away. Haptic technology is already here, in the service of virtual reality sex; any sex toy that by its own power stimulates an erogenous zone, may in theory also be remotely controlled, and thus programmed to deliver sensations that match what the user is seeing and hearing in their headset. (The question of how well such toys work at feeling like “sex” perhaps depends on the user’s skill at imagination.)
But what kind of haptic technology could simulate the sensations of a spanking? A mechanical contrivance that can spank a bottom is possible — spanking machines exist, although not so many as have been envisioned by enthusiastic fantasizers — but at its very best it’s still going to be bulky and awkward to use.
No, the dream here is direct neural stimulation. Primitive versions of this technology already exist; scientists can remotely induce a wide variety of sensations in volunteers by manipulating the flow of electricity through their neural systems. Currently, this requires putting electrodes into tender parts of one’s neuroanatomy (ouch!) or pretty complex systems of external electrodes that may or may not require shaving, conductive gels, and ludicrously-precise positioning. Plus, the — call it resolution — is low. The sensations that can be delivered are simple, one-note affairs. A taste, a smell, perhaps a color in the visual field.
But all these things can and will be miniaturized and improved. Imagine if your punishee of the day could simply slip on a collar with an electrode that snuggled against her spine. And then you could select from a library of physical sensations for her to experience — not all of them pleasant. The fun you could have with a toy like that! (I am afraid I do not have a good notion on how we would prevent tyrants from abusing this technology for non-consensual evil. Alfred Nobel had the same problem with gunpowder; I think it’s inherent to the human condition.)
The final step with a toy like that would be using it to add a sensory track to your VR porn. Now, someone viewing a virtual reality entertainment could also have the option of feeling a set of sensations programmed to match one of the characters in the VR porn track. A new kind of kinky: pick a different character (and thus a different set of sensations) every time the VR porn plays! Or, imagine a VR movie of a really serious and obviously quite painful thrashing. One option would be to enjoy the sensations of delivering the punishment. When it’s time to flip the table and sample the experience of the spanked person, the interface might challenge you: “Do you DARE to play this on 100% realistic pain emulation?” Newbies could start at 10% or 20%, dialing it up as needed to keep familiar sensations from becoming boring. The possibilities are endless!
