Sex, Tech, & Style: Your 2016 Sex Toy Trend Report

If you thought the life of a Silicon Valley engineer or New York fashion designer was fast-paced, try your hand at creating the next wave of sex toys. The pleasure products industry isn't fully on the mainstream radar yet, but that's about to change thanks to the influx of wildly creative toys out there.

The vibrators and kink products of yesteryear pale in comparison to today's tech-geeky, fashion-forward, could-double-as-artwork pleasure accessories. In fact, the orgasm geniuses at the helm of toy manufacturers are just as innovative and tenacious as the teams that created your smartphone. Old school toys often came from mainstream porn companies looking for another form of plastic (read: profit) to stick on adult shop shelves. They were poorly manufactured and decked out in some hilariously horrendous '80s-style packaging, complete with big-haired blondes in neon bikinis. Thankfully, the present-day sex toy industry includes a new generation of industrial designers, engineers, and other mechanical artists who are bringing sex toys up to par with the rest of the modern market.

Wondering what's next on the pleasure product platter? Check out these futuristic and artsy toys that are almost too amazing to hide in your nightstand!

Teledildonics

Tech lovers and travelers, take note. Long-distance relationships just got a lot more interactive. A marriage of telecommunications and sex toys, teledildonics brings phone sex into the age of the iPad. Composed of a his-and-hers toy duo, including a touch-sensitive vibrator and a smart masturbator, these feats of cyber sex allow couples to have digital intercourse in real time. Get started by firing up the unique video chat included with the toys, and then connect to your partner via Bluetooth. Stroking or inserting the vibrator transmits your exact movements to the masturbator using rows of motorized beads that squeeze while gliding up and down. When he inserts himself into the stroker, you'll feel changes in vibration intensity and pattern as he speeds up or slows down. Globe-trotting go-getters can now keep their partner satisfied with something a little more fun than sexting. Kiiroo makes an excellent tech toy pairing for teledildonics newbies with their Pearl vibrator and Onyx masturbator duo. The kit comes with everything you need to connect across continents. (Read an interesting perspective on cybersex in Is Virtual Sex Real Sex?)

If simplicity is a little more your style, the blueMotion by OhMiBod puts your partner in control with the tap of a touch screen. Wear the Nex1 panty vibe or lay back with the Nex 2 g-spot vibrator, and then download the app to your partner's smartphone. They can take the reins of your pleasure without having to give up their gadget addiction. Who says you can't keep your phone in hand during sexy time?

Vibes for App Addicts

Candy Crush might be easy to play with one hand, but it doesn't pay out points in orgasms. The PicoBong Remoji connects your smart phone to your sex toys with music and colorful games. Turn on one of the musical options, like Dubstep or indie rock, and your vibe buzzes along to the beat. Switch to game mode and smash through your top score all while being rewarded with tantalizing vibrations as you level up. Remoji connects to four different toys: an insertable, bullet-style vibe, a couples' ring for his penis, an anal vibe, and a cup-shaped masturbator. The entire collection is silicone, rechargeable, and waterproof for toy lovers who never skimp on the latest app upgrades. If Remoji sounds like an amazing way to amp up your solo time, imagine the fun you can have with a partner. Grab your toys of choice and see who can score the most points before the vibrations take you over the edge. Now there's no excuse not to keep your phone out when you're ready for a bedroom romp!

Kink-Glam Jewelry & Accessories

Modern luxury toys and kink wear are so sleek and stylish that you'll no longer want to keep them a secret. Trendsetting female designers are changing the look of sex toys, and these ladies understand your need to show off those glamorous sex-cessories. Ever considered wearing your favorite vibrator around your neck? Crave's Vesper combines high-end jewelry design with the latest in sex tech. The clean, white packaging and velvety sleeve that hold the vibe, emblazoned with the brand's futuristic silver logo, give the Tiffany blue box a run for its money. Inside lies a necklace vibe so gorgeous and yet so wonderfully functional that you won't know whether to slip it on with tonight's outfit or leave it at home on the charger for some after-dinner action. Don't let the vibrator's small size fool you. It has a delightfully rumbly buzz and it heats up. If whips and chains are more your style, meet your latest accessory addiction: jewelry that seamlessly transitions from kinky play to cocktail hour. Bijoux Indiscrets' Magnifique collection takes a cue from playful bondage favorites, turning classic wrist and neck restraints and chain whips into works of body art. The couple next to you at the bar will never guess that your designer choker doubles as a leash and collar, or that your whispy, gold chain necklace moonlights as a flogger. Waist and shoulder pieces drape your skin in the smooth coolness of metal, and look just as hot with your lingerie set as they do with your summer festival fashions. (Get more dirty ideas in 7 Super-Sexy Undercover Sex Toys.)

Sex toys have taken a flying leap from cheesy and sleazy back-alley sex shops to the forefronts of technology and style. Thanks to influences from artists, designers, and engineers, today's toys are more gorgeous and game-changing than ever. There's never been a better time to wear your sexuality on your sleeve!