They’re calling it the “magic tool for long-distance kissing”. And as bizarre as it may sound, on the face (or lips) of it, that’s a superbly-accurate description. Time to welcome a way for lovers to reunite when separated from afar.
It is understood that the newish device (read on for more on that) is an invention of a student in Changzhou First College out of our very own Jiangsu Province. And it works by one party kissing their device and the other party feeling it on their lips, in real time.
Sound bizarre or just plain unhygienic?
It all starts with a couple daring to kiss some suspicious-looking silicone lips.
Then, the movements of each party’s lips are recognised by sensors in the device’s silicone equivalent and transmitted via the internet (for which there has surely never been a better use) to the partner’s device.
That then replicates the lip movement and our remote kiss is a reality.
It’s been quite a long lingering kiss too, as The Paper has reported. A search of patent records identifies Changzhou Electromechanical Vocational and Technical College as applying for a patent related to “remote kissing” (远程接吻) in March of 2019. The patent was granted that May.
But the idea is strangely not new. Back in 2016, the wonderfully named, “Kissenger”, made its debut.
Looking similar to the new offering from Changzhou, minus the lips (where’s the fun in that?), possible uses/victims for Kissinger were touted at the time as being a peck for family members or even how it feels to kiss your favourite celebrity.
Developed by Imagineering Lab in Malaysia, Kissenger was an odd collaboration between universities, including City University London, Osaka University Japan and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, as Geek Wire reported at the time.
The makers of our locally-made device, however, do point out a more practical use for the technology; the capability to give and receive kisses for those with orally-infectious diseases.
