Electric Eel Creator Creating Biz Around Open Sourcing Sex Toy Designs

ATLANTA—Admittedly, it’s quite a leap from studying ants in the Panama jungle to creating a sex toy called the Electric Eel that delivers low-voltage electrical shocks to the wearer’s penis; but to robotics genius Andrew Quitmeyer it’s a natural progression. Quitmeyer, who with colleague Firaz Peer created the Electric Eel at the recent University of Pennsylvania Stitchfest—a college DIY hacking contest held every semester—previously created specialized robots for scientists who were tracking ants in the jungle. That experience led him to hosting workshops to teach scientists how to build their own bots. At the same time, he earned his Ph.D. at Georgia Tech. Then, one day during one of his robot workshops, someone asked he could create a vibrator. “The vibrator was a really interesting design aspect, especially because I was in this really limited environment, trying to MacGyver a dildo like this,” Quitmeyer said in a recent interview. “Using a simple workshop under unusual workshop conditions revealed to me not only the demand but also how easy it would be for someone to create and modify their own sex toys.” While the Electric Eel didn’t win any big prizes at Stitchfest, Quitmeyer believes his efforts will open up a new world in sex toy design. Along with fellow Ph.D. Candidate Paul Clifton, he has opened Comingle. “Comingle works to develop DIY open-source sex technology. Our goal is to document and share designs for hacking existing devices as well as providing parts and kits for building new forms of sex toys. The mission of our work is to promote sexual empowerment through physical computing, education, and outreach,” the company’s website reads. Comingle is expected to launch in August 2014. "It's important that we be supportive of people who want to build these things themselves—especially regarding sexuality," Clifton said of his hope that sex toy hackathons become a real thing. "If we take sex toys from a women's perspective, and if sex toys are a way for women to take control of their bodies, then the next step is creating their own devices instead of just going out and purchasing them." To that end, until Comingle is launched later this year, Quitmeyer and Clifton have the Electric Eel listed as a project on Indiegogo.com. For more information, visit Comingle.io/.   Pictured: Andrew Quitmeyer is hoping to translate his ability to create robotics for specialized needs into a business that open-sources designs for sex toys.