It’s not just Romney and Obama anymore! Thanks to dropping costs and the nagging sense of terrible shame that comes with entering a sex shop no matter how liberated you are, custom, 3D-printed sex toys are now officially a “phenomenon,” according to Dezeen. There’s MakerLove and Dongiverse, two alternate-universe versions of Thingiverse that specialize in the free sharing of dildo designs, Velv’Or, a “gentlemen’s jewelry” brand making 3D-printed products for men, and Cunicode, which plans to offer “luxury” ceramic models.
“Everyone’s bodies and preferences are unique. Mainstream products are produced in very large runs because the cost of traditional prototyping is very high,” says Chelsea Downs of the New York Toy Collective, which–no joke–is developing a process that would allow users to print exact replicas of their own genitals. “3D printing allows people to design their very own toy, with their ideal dimensions and specifications and print prototypes relatively cheaply. We can then use those prototypes to make small runs, or even single products for interested individuals. It makes customisable toys possible and affordable.”
The only problem: there are questions about the safety of putting 3D-printed objects inside your body. “The issue is that consumer grade 3D printers can’t print in body-safe materials yet,” says Downs. “People can design their own toys and share the digital files online, but you still need someone to be able to take the printed prototype and turn it into a toy in a body-safe texture and material.”
Check out some favorites from Makerlove and Velv’Or above, including 3D-printed anal beads and images of Justin Bieber and Hello Kitty.
