Comment by durkie | Hacker News Reader

Comment by durkie | Hacker News Reader

Hi all! We're making an Arduino-based sex toy platform to which you can attach any kind of sensor or controller and change change how your toy responds. You can also create interesting motor vibration patterns or build your own toy in whatever form you like.

So far we've had lots of fun connecting wii Nunchucks, heart-rate monitors, music/audio sensors, capacitive touch sensing (a la makey makey -- turn almost anything in to a touch interface. Bananas, body piercings, large metal objects are fun here), stroke sensors, and geiger counters (weirdest, but probably the most boring, at least in relatively radiation-free Atlanta).

Our toys are hopefully going to be exposing lots of people to programming that have no experience with it, and we're excited about creating fun tools to do this.

On the back-end, currently the only way to talk to an Arduino over the web is via the NPAPI plugin architecture (deprecated and soon to be highly-restricted by Chrome), or by the Chrome Serial API. So we'll be developing a graphical front-end that turns intention ("make all the motors vibrate in this pattern", "make the accelerometer in my wii nunchuck" increase/decrease vibration pattern frequency") in to Arduino code, which then gets compiled on the back-end and delivered via Chrome extension to your toy.

Very cool! But ATMega's can be pretty pricey as well as connectors like USB. Bluetooth LE would be a pretty good alternative especially since it's wireless.

Check out platforms like the mbed (http://developer.mbed.org/) which can work with Nordic's really nice nRF51822 chipset. This is the same one in the Estimote iBeacons and it's a very nice platform.

They even come in module forms that are pre-certified with the FCC to make integration with end-devices more friendly. Modules such as the PTR5518 can be pretty cheap (http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/PTR5518-Coin-size-nR...) and small, and they just could get soldered to your existing circuit. Best of all, the mbed source code you write for the firmware works directly in those modules too.

Good luck with the project!

Thanks! They are indeed pricey -- it's tough reading things like this (http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297) talking about chips that are 40 times as fast, have 2 thousand times more memory and cost half as much as our Atmegas. :/

But I think you're definitely right -- things are moving towards BLE in general, and having fewer wires and ports is for sure a plus for something like a sex toy.

>Modules such as the PTR5518 can be pretty cheap

Those are $8 each! That's way too expensive if they want to sell this thing for < $100. I'd think you'd probably want the total cost for making these to be ~$15 max.

I've also been looking into wireless connectivity options for consumer devices, and the options do not look too good for small companies or individuals. You can get NRF51822 chips for around $3 each in bulk, but then you are greatly increasing the difficulty level and making FCC certification potentially much more painful. (I mean, say you get it working but then it fails the emissions test. If you're not an Real Electronic Engineer, how are you realistically going to fix that?)

Also, not everything supports bluetooth LE, and consumers just know that their device has "Bluetooth" (if they even know that), and are going to get pissed if their Bluetooth device can't connect to your (ahem) dildo.

MicroUSB connectors aren't super expensive (less than $1 each in bulk).

Anyway, none of the frustration there is directed at you -- just ranting a bit.

>You can also create interesting motor vibration patterns

send a hug, picture, vibration pattern to your friends. Add favorite pattern to FB or Tinder profile. I mean social features integration potential here is just amazing.

>So far we've had lots of fun connecting wii Nunchucks, heart-rate monitors

need to run to patent office with novel idea and apparatus - heart monitor connected as a feedback controller to a programmable sex toy with "Economy"/"Sport Enthusiast" presets

And one can imagine how the data can be stored/analyzed/compared onto the Cloud smart-fitness-band style.

Anyway, i'm much happier to see Arduino in the toys than Linux in the rifles (while it is a logical and unavoidable way of things it still feels like abomination).

I've been researching parts for a while relating to non-vibration based haptic output... so far what I've found are solenoid type devices, electro static output (TENS units for example) or resonant actuators, but things like tactile displays used for braile for example are too cumbersome in construction to really be useful as skin contact points.

anyways just an idea from another hacking type who'se been thinking about the subject.

Slightly off-topic, but your https is broken: you are including non-secure items. Namely, your logo is served over http.

thanks!

I think I'm going to need one in buttplug form. With bluetooth and preferably wifi modules.

haha, no problem! we are actually working on it. :)

Cool! Do let me know where it goes. I want to do some pen testing with an attack buttplug.

> Do let me know where it goes.

:|

I wish I could say I'd planned that. Instead, I am reduced to marveling at the range of innuendo enabled by the network attack buttplug.

Arduino?

Wouldn't it make more sense to use the BeagleBone? :I

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