Glossary
Teledildonics
Computer-controlled sex toys you operate remotely over the internet.
What is teledildonics?
Teledildonics is the umbrella term for computer-controlled sex toys you can operate remotely over the internet. Two people can drive each other’s toy this way and have sex at a distance, even when they are far apart. The philosopher Ted Nelson coined the term back in 1975, long before the technology existed.
| Also called | teledildonica |
| Coined by | Ted Nelson, 1975 |
| Core | sex toys controlled remotely over the internet |
| Used for | remote sex, long-distance relationships |
How teledildonics works
The toy connects to an app over wifi or bluetooth. According to the encyclopedia, it comes down to sex at a distance where the touches travel across a connection: one person moves or taps in the app, the other feels it in the toy. That often happens during a video call, so you see and hear each other too. The language authority Taalbank describes it simply as the umbrella term for all computer-controlled sex toys, with a name built from tele (at a distance), dildo, and the suffix -ics from electronics.
What people use it for
The best-known reason is distance. Couples who are temporarily far apart, through work or a long-distance relationship, hold on to a physical form of intimacy this way. Wikipedia names exactly that use: long-distance couples keeping their sex life going with it. For some people with a disability or a lot of shyness, it also lowers the threshold.
What teledildonics is not
“So it feels just like being there together.” Not quite. The touch is imitated, not replaced. It bridges distance, but it is something other than really being together in the flesh, and that difference need not be a problem as long as you know it is there.
What I make of it
My work as a gigolo is the opposite: being truly present, in the same room, with real touch. Teledildonics solves a different problem, namely distance. I do not see it as competition, just as something else. Anyone who misses the warmth of a person beside her will not find that in an app, and anyone who mainly needs to bridge distance has no use for me. Both exist side by side.
Sources
- Teledildonics. Wikipedia. Provides the definition of sex at a distance with touches passed across a connection, that Ted Nelson coined the term in 1975, and the use by long-distance couples.
- Teledildonica. Ton den Boon, Taalbank. Provides that it is the umbrella term for all computer-controlled sex toys and the word formation from tele, dildo, and -ics.
Related terms
What exactly is teledildonics?
Teledildonics are sex toys controlled remotely over the internet. Two people can drive each other’s toy this way, usually through an app and often during a video call, and have sex at a distance. Ted Nelson coined the term back in 1975, long before the technology was there.
Who can you turn to with questions about intimacy at a distance?
Teledildonics is about bridging distance. My work as a gigolo is the opposite: being truly present, in the same room, with real touch. If what you mainly miss is that physical closeness, I am glad to think it through with you, with no obligation or over a free chat.
Learn more
Prefer real closeness to an app?
I'm Victor, a gigolo for women. I offer the opposite of sex at a distance: being truly present, with real touch. Curious how that works? Just text me, I reply at my own pace.