Sex and the two cities

Technology and the internet are making the world a smaller place. From Facebook to Skype and FaceTime, it’s slowly getting easier than ever to separate the gap between countries. And the need for this space closing technology is clear in long distance relationships, with long-distance partners normally only lasting an average of 4 and a half months.But tech is evolving it into a more successful way to be with the love of your life ... and it’s getting a whole lot sexier too. Constant digital communication can make a couple stronger and completely debunk the myth that all long-distance relationships are destined to fail.Relationship app Avocado found that 90 per cent of couples contact each other more than two to five times per day and 58 per cent do so through text. The study claims that new tech innovations are strengthening relationships and are contributing to an “important experience that’s going to be developed in software.”So, technology is allowing couples, specifically long distance couples, to create their own little online worlds and digital bubbles through the technology they use to stay close, despite the space between them. Here’s a run-down of the coolest, and also most cringe-worthy, tech aiding in long-distance relationships across the globe.Pillow talk is an exciting IoT gadget comprised of two wristbands and two speakers costing £125. The wristband picks up your pulse and sends it in real time to your partner’s speaker, which is placed inside their pillow case, and vice versa.Although this may sound a bit lame, it actually has surprising therapeutic effects for those couples who miss each other so much that it causes anxiety. It allows for a calmer drift into sleep while listening to each other’s heartbeats and creates a better sense of closeness than a text notification from your partner. The creators of Pillow Talk, Little Riot, raised over £82,000 on Kickstarter for the project and are now shipping all over the world.KissengerDescribed as a "real kiss transfer device”, Kissenger is a downright disturbing piece of IoT. The idea is that one person kisses the unit while the other person receives the kiss on the other unit. The movements are transferred through vibrations. Kissenger will be launched very soon to those who helped with funding the project. Any long-distance couples out there who think they need this in their life should probably stick to their imaginations. Honestly, moving to another country is probably less terrifying.Fundawear is a world first and, as the title suggests, this remarkable tech brings couples intimately closer together. It is the first wearable technology that allows personal touch to be transferred from an app to a lover anywhere in the world.Designed by Billie Whitehouse for Durex, the underwear is about transferring touch between the wearer and the app operator, with the person controlling the app with their finger tips. Although not in full production yet, Fundawear is currently being tested by long-distance couples wanting to feel closer and enhance their sex life while apart.Lovense has created a pair of his and hers toys, along with a secure video platform for added visual, for long distance lovers. The two toys are connected to an internet-capable device via Bluetooth and when you move your toy the other reacts. The pair come in at a reasonable £160, which is a whole lot cheaper than a flight across the world for a booty call.Frebble is an accessory designed to allow you to hold hands with your partner wherever you are in the world. When you squeeze it, the other person feels your squeeze. The device is shaped to fit a hand perfectly and react in a comforting way. Frebble isn’t yet available, but if you’re partial to a bit of cringe-worthy, long-distance handholding then you can sign up to their mailing list to be the first to know of their launch.Relationships can be hard work, but surprisingly one in 10 marriages start out as long-distance relationships. With technology advancing at such a rate, we can only expect the world to get smaller, and this figure to rise. And if this all seems a bit futuristic or expensive for you, there’s always the MegaBus.Photo credit.