Randy robots, drone-boning and DNA dating. What's really up next for our sex lives? Here are the future sex predictions and the likelihood of them actually happening...
RUMOUR: 'We’ll pick our partners by their DNA'…
TRUTH: And then we’ll break up with them shortly afterwards. Advancements in genetics mean that dating apps could be launched where you match with partners based on DNA suitability rather than personality. But experts reckon they’re more gimmicky than anything else. ‘Genetic dating is based on your immune system,’ explains relationship expert Jo Hemmings. ‘Of course, it’s handy to have a healthy partner, but that has nothing to do with attraction, lust or love. There are so many other environmental factors going on in both chemistry and compatibility, such as lifestyle, age, goals, humour, intellect and looks, that your DNA is pretty irrelevant.
RUMOUR: 'We’ll be sleeping with robots'… TRUTH:
Known as ‘robophilia’, having sex with a robot sounds depressing at best – and creepy at worst. But Dr Helen Driscoll from the University of Sunderland believes it could be the norm by 2070. ‘We tend to think about issues such as virtual reality and robotic sex within the context of current norms,’ she says. ‘But if we think back to the social norms about sex that existed just 100 years ago, it is obvious that they have changed rapidly and radically.’ Anyway, behind closed doors, it’s already happening. ‘Roxxxy’ and ‘Rocky’ are the latest developments in sex robotics, and come complete with customisable hair, eyes and complexion, plus beating heart, warm skin and circulatory system. You can also fine-tune their personalities, and they can even have their own orgasms. ‘Our sex robots provide not only physical intimacy, but also the love and support we all need,’ explains their creator Douglas Hines, adding that he hopes the robots will reduce sex trafficking, replace the role of prostitutes, remove the risk of STDs and double up as a training tool for sexual therapists. Costing £5,000, they’re available online and apparently 4,000 men and women have already stocked up.
RUMOUR: 'We’ll be using drones to film porn'… TRUTH: Probably not. At the end of last year, ‘drone boning’ became a porn search item, as the first ever X-rated movie debuted as filmed from the skies. But John Carlucci, who made the film, isn’t convince that it’ll, well, take off. ‘Don’t expect any close-ups from drone porn, because those rotor blades can do some serious damage,’ he tells us. ‘That said, there’s something sexually stimulating out there for everyone, and if you can get past the noise when you pleasure yourself, it could work.’ As for the threat of being filmed by a drone without realising it, he’s keen to alleviate any concerns. ‘I think people with telephoto lenses, binoculars and telescopes will be able to see more hanky panky than a drone,’ he says.
RUMOUR: 'We won’t have to worry about contraception'…
TRUTH: Men will have to instead. In the next three to four years, a non-hormonal male contraceptive called Vasalgel is expected to hit the market. ‘In regards to timing, we anticipate starting our first clinical trial in mid-2016, and then a larger trial starting in 2017,’ explains Linda Brent, deputy director of the Parsemus Foundation. ‘When the product arrives on the market depends mostly on regulatory approvals, but it could be as soon as 2018.’ But you don’t need to worry about whether your other half can be trusted to remember to take the male ‘pill’. Vasalgel is an injection that blocks a man’s sperm. He won’t even have to bother setting a reminder on his phone.
RUMOUR: 'We’ll be vaccinated against STIs'… TRUTH: You wish. Researchers from Harvard Medical School have found that injecting UV light-killed Chlamydia bacteria into a mouse’s uterus produces an immune response that could protect them against live Chlamydia virus (an often-symptomless infection that can be transmitted during oral, vaginal and anal sex) in the future. But there’s still a very long way to go. ‘The trials that have taken place so far have been on mice, so while they have shown promising results, we’re a long way off a vaccine being developed that could be safe and effective for humans,’ says a spokesperson for sexual health charity FPA. ‘Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK; in 2014 it accounted for almost half of all STI diagnoses. But it’s important to remember a vaccine would not protect against other infections.’