CES 2020 will allow sex tech on a trial basis
Don't call the Consumer Technology Association sex-positive just yet.
At least one sex tech product caused a stir at CES last year. As you might remember, the company Lora DiCarlo had a Robotics Innovation Award for its Ose "blended-orgasm machine" revoked and then reinstated. This year, likely hoping to avoid another debacle, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) says it will allow tech-based sex products.
CTA will permit products like the Ose to participate in the Health & Wellness product category or in the Health & Wellness startup area of Eureka Park. But CTA made it clear that this is a one-year trial, so don't bank on finding sex tech at CES 2021 just yet. The association also said it will strictly enforce its dress code. It will not permit "sexually revealing" clothing or undergarments, and companies that violate its dress code or its ban on pornography will be penalized.
CES and sex have a long, complicated history. For decades, CES had an "adult software" section, which eventually spun off into the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE), a conference that ran concurrently with CES. But since AEE rescheduled its show in 2012, CTA has appeared more prudish. Even the sex-tech companies like Naughty America and OhMiBody that made it into CES had to jump through hoops. And given that this is just a one-year trial, it appears CTA isn't ready to full embrace sex tech again.
