Makers of the NimbleStroker, an automatic stroking device for people with a penis, has started making new units of its updated design, ready to send out to a long list of reservation holders — and there are plans in place to add a connectivity module that will enable new features.
Manufactured by US-based firm Exploratory Devices, the NimbleStroker is a hands-free toy dreamt up by an ex-Silicon Valley electrical design engineer Vincent Tannahill.
The original design – which shipped out to the first round of customers in 2020 – has since been updated to enable higher volume and quality production.
“Customers who received the initial design last year have loved it,” Exploratory Devices founder Vincent Tannahill tells SEXTECHGUIDE. “Many have posted videos of it in use on Twitter with commentary about how well it stays in place and how fun some of the patterns are, with edging mode being a favorite.”
Initially, the highly-customizable product was made via a urethane casting process, where liquid urethane resin was cast into silicone molds. This was rejigged in October 2020 to enable faster production times, while maintaining quality.
How does the NimbleStroker work?
Currently, the NimbleStroker is controlled by a handheld controller. The user has controls to adjust the speed, stroke length and stroke pattern, with the added ability to let air in or out of the system.
However, the NimbleStroker was originally designed to support connectivity, and a Bluetooth and WiFi module will be offered once production is ramped-up. Once released, it’ll also be backwards compatible with machines already sold.
The update will allow connection to an app and synchronization with 2D videos, VR and remote control of the device. These are all functions that don’t yet have an arrival date, but are on the product roadmap.
How is it different to similar products?
The NimbleStroker is made from skin-safe silicone, unlike similar ‘milking machine’ products such as the Venus and Tremblr toys, which are made from latex. It has a higher versatility than its rival products in terms of stroke speeds, with its slowest being six strokes in one minute and its highest a (somewhat staggering) 500 per minute. It also offers adjustable stroke length, while in motion, as well as a useful anti-push off tube.
The NimbleStroker is also capable of any movement pattern, not just back-and-forth. It can also produce higher frequency pulses while stroking, to give a vibrating effect. It can stop and start automatically (in edging mode) and it’s possible to adjust the intervals. The ability to control it from an app or computer, while not yet available, is “something that’s not even possible with competing products”, Tannahill says. However, as already mentioned, a connectivity module is planned for the future.
Tannahill adds: “The existing products are based on a decades-old design and extremely limited in their capabilities; they can only do simple back-and-forth motion of a set stroke length.
“They all suffer from the problem of ‘push off’, where the tube/receiver over travels and pushes itself off of the user. They require precisely sized, made-to-measure receivers to even have a chance of working, and even with a properly sized receiver they need to be adjusted to the right stroke length, which requires stopping them and using tools to make the adjustment. In the case of the Venus, it needs to be disassembled to do this. I knew I could come up with a better way.”
…but how is it different to cheaper, mainstream toys?
While, in one way, the NimbleStroker could be considered in a similar category of ‘strokers’ as those from Kiiroo, Lovense and other manufacturers, Tannahill argues that there’s not really much similarity and overlap.
“Robotic strokers are fundamentally different in that they only move a sleeve. They basically replicate movements that a user could otherwise perform manually by hand. Pneumatic milking machines provide a different experience because they operate on the principle of pressure. Pressure acts on every surface that it is in contact with, so when a NimbleStroker actuator sends pressure pulses to the tube, the user feels those pulses over their entire length, Tannahill explains. “When a NimbleStroker tube ‘vibrates’ it does so via rapidly varying pressure, not a motor with a spinning weight. It’s not simply shaking the tube on the user, it’s causing pulsation to be felt over the entire enclosed surface, in every direction.”
Smaller devices also tend towards using small motors with lots of gearing to provide the range of speeds, which Tannahill says gives them a “loud, distracting servo noise” while in use.
OK. So what’s the magic?
There are four components to the Nimble Stroker: the actuator, the tube, the sleeve and the seal.
The actuator allows for real-time adjustment of speed, stroke length and texture — even while the product is being used. The snap-together design of the tube makes it easy to swap sleeves, and allows for easy cleaning, the company says. There are also attachment points on the tube which open up possibilities for bondage play and creative positioning.
The sleeve is made from skin-safe silicone, and its texture can be chosen from smooth, satin, ribbed and ridged.
Finally, the seal feature helps prevent the toy from pushing itself off the penis during use. This means the NimbleStroker stays put during a session in play.
“One of the comments I get most frequently is that people are amazed at how quiet it is compared to other milkers they’ve used. Every time we ship one, we end up with more interest,” Tannahill adds.
The NimbleStroker is available to reserve from the Exploratory Devices shop for $200, with base packages costing from $900 in total. When a NimbleStroker is ready for production, the reservation holder will be asked to select a sleeve size, seal size, and sleeve texture option for the included tube. You can also choose to order additional sleeves, seals and tubes, if you want them.
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