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Sextech firm Handi, not to be confused with The Handy, has released the first solid details about its line of products for people with mobility limitations.
The hands-free prototype toy is being designed for people who struggle to achieve pleasure through masturbation and sexual play with hand movements.
The product is being developed to be controlled by your chin, with a bendable, ‘huggable’ rod design and optional vibration setting, making it an adaptable option for people with a wide range of disabilities.
The firm also claims it will be a suitable toy for people of all gender expressions, but details on exactly how this can work will be revealed at a later date.
Handi’s research found that more than 50 percent of physically disabled people struggle to achieve sexual pleasure on their own. When it surveyed its user base, 90 percent of participants said they would like to own a toy designed with their disability in mind, despite no products yet being on the market.
Andrew Gurza, chief disability officer at Handi, told us, “I finally don’t have to worry about playing with small buttons or small toys. It’s one the most accessible toys I’ve seen.”
“When I first saw the images, my jaw dropped, I was like, Oh my god. There’s finally something for me. As somebody who has complex disabilities, who has struggled to get off, struggled to masturbate and find the joy in self-pleasure, this was a huge turning point for me,” Gurza added.
The startup is working with RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, disability startup accelerator Remarkables Tech & CAP, disability service provider Northcott, occupation therapy clinic Thrive Rehab and branding firm Luka Agency in its early stages of designing the product.
A 2017 study by researchers at Laval University in Quebec concluded that, for people with motor disabilities, “other solutions must be developed”, as the few sex toys that people with disabilities can use can be “expensive and hard to find”. As part of the study, participants were asked for their input and ideas for a toy that would make pleasure easier to reach for those with conditions such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.
While we wait for a launch date to be fixed, it seems as if the team behind Handi may just be on their way to achieving a toy with real potential that will change the sex toy market for people with limited mobility.
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