Physical closeness despite distance – that’s what a new, admittedly bizarre invention from China promises. A kissing device with silicone lips is said to allow long-distance “real” physical intimacy for couples. Videos of the roughly hand-sized device have gone viral beyond China in the past few days and, in addition to amusement, have primarily triggered repulsive reactions.
The idea for the kissing machine came from a university in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. Jiang Zhongli, the inventor of the machine, had a long-distance relationship when he was a student. “So we only contacted each other by phone. That’s where the inspiration for this device came from,” Jiang Zhongli told the Chinese daily Global Times. The kissing machine can be connected to the smartphone via the charging connection. Couples can use an app to connect with each other, start a video call – and make out with the help of the machine.
According to “CNN”, sensors and actuators that convert electrical signals into mechanical movements ensure the lifelike kissing experience. If a person puts their lips on the silicone pendant, it should register the pressure, movement and temperature and transmit it via an app to the artificial lip on the other side, which should use it to imitate a kiss. The corresponding noises should also be reproduced. In addition, the app has a dating function. If there is a match, you can ask the other person for a kiss. The “Global Times” points out that the silicone smooch does not only benefit partners at a distance. The device “also allows people with oral diseases to kiss”.
A similar invention was launched in Malaysia in 2016. Equipped with a silicone pad instead of artificial lips, the “Kissinger” was a simpler version of the kissing machine and hardly gained any notoriety. Jiang Zhongli had his variant patented by the Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology in 2019. 288 yuan – about 41 US dollars – costs the kissing machine.
The invention triggers mixed reactions online. For people in a long-distance relationship, the device actually seems to be generating interest. Dozens of customers have left reviews on China’s largest online shopping website Taobao. A man writes about the “best surprise” he ever gave his girlfriend. “Her jaw dropped when she used it,” CNN quoted the review as saying.
For the most part, however, one can read disgust and incomprehension from the comments on social media. Users on Twitter and Weibo, a Chinese network, describe the kissing device as “simply embarrassing”, “totally weird”, “vulgar” and “creepy”. “I don’t understand this, but I’m deeply shocked,” one comment summarized the general attitude towards the silicone lips.
Others make fun of the invention. Some users want a model with a tongue for even more intimate kisses. “You won’t just use that for kissing,” speculates another user. Even the inventor is surprised that the kiss device has become so popular. Jiang Zhongli hopes that interest in his invention will help expand and perfect the design.
Quellen: “CNN”, “Global Times”, Twitter (I), Twitter (II)
