A new app-controlled vibrator range designed to closely sync with sound is being developed, pitched as a more sophisticated sync system than other sound-activated vibes.
Intiwave is described as a “sensory content system” and will come in the form of two vibrators, with suitably sound-inspired names: the Duet (pictured directly below) and Echo (pictured further down). Intiwave says the Echo’s design and specifications are not final, and that it is not yet for sale.
The devices are being developed by Yinbo Intelligent Technology, based in Shenzhen, China, with a Kickstarter campaign for them currently planned to launch on November 10.
App-controlled vibrators that can respond to music and other sound as part of their general syncing capabilities are relatively common, and are mainstays of brands like Lovense. Intiwave vibrators, however, are designed as purely sound-focused devices and are billed as offering more immersive experiences.
Intiwave will offer a sound library in its app, including music, narratives and ASMR, and says that this library will be regularly updated. Intiwave’s site lists a free tier with a curated selection, and puts the full library behind a paid “Intimate Pass” subscription. Sounds in the library will have sync scripts created before they are released, optimizing their connection with the vibrators via Bluetooth.
“For the library we produce ourselves, the touch is not improvised on your phone,” Intiwave said. “It is built from the master recording ahead of time, checked against a fixed set of rules, and shipped with the track… that is why two people listening to the same track feel the same thing, and why it holds together on a quiet passage instead of falling silent and waiting for the next loud moment.”
Fittingly for its name, the Duet vibrator features two appendages and two independently driven voice-coil motors. These are types of motors that use fine wire and a magnet and operate similarly to an audio speaker’s. When the vibrator is connected to the Intiwave app your phone can send waveforms to the motors over Bluetooth, triggering haptics.
Zhang Wenqian, Intiwave’s CEO, told SEXTECHGUIDE: “A waveform lets us control frequency and amplitude independently on each channel. We use physically different voice-coil actuators because the internal and external contact points need different responses: low-frequency depth internally and finer texture at the surface. Driving them separately lets us shape how the two sensations combine.”
An Intiwave spokesperson added that internal on-body testing had shown that for sound syncing, “plucked and struck notes were felt as distinct events, instrument textures were distinguishable, and sensations shifted between internal and external contact points.”
In terms of user data privacy, Intiwave said that the sync pairing is a direct connection between the phone and the vibrator, so no data is sent elsewhere. That covers the pairing, though Intiwave’s own pitch of AI recommendations that “learn your rhythm and preferences” suggests the app itself will hold some data.
The company said that the system is built around Intiwave’s own sound library because “that is where we can guarantee the result” in terms of creating and vetting sound sync scripts. The devices will, however, be able to sync with sound content outside of the library.
This focus on the internal library will certainly help maintain control of sync quality. But really, who wants to listen to ‘original’ library music created by a sextech company for syncing, rather than their own favorite songs? The quality of Intiwave’s syncing with external content rather than library content could end up being the more crucial factor in whether the device connects with the public.
Pricing details for the Intiwave haven’t been announced yet, but you can sign up for email updates at the company’s site.
