The solution to long-distance relationships? A virtual kissing machine

A remote kissing device has been created by a group of university students in China for people in long-distance relationships.

The 3D silicone gadget has a mouth-shaped module and is triggered through a kiss, which is then transferred to the “mouth” on the other side.

It mimics the movement, temperature and pressure of the kiss using sensors, and links to phones via Bluetooth and an application.

The device, which was created by a group of university students in China, has been met with criticism on social media.

Some users called the device “weird”, while others found humour in it saying that the device convinced them “that having a long-distance relationship is a pretty bad idea”.

According to the Global Times, a state-run media outlet, the invention has been patented by the Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology.

“In my university, I was in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend so we only contact each other through phone,” Jiang Zhongli, the lead inventor of the device, told the Global Times.

“That’s where the inspiration of this device originated.”

Read more:
TikTok banned from EU Commission phones over cyberattack fears
Is the UK equipped for a smarter, more streamlined, silicon-clad future?

A function in the app allows users to pair up anonymously with strangers in the “kissing square”, according to CNN, meaning users can upload their kisses for others to download and experience.

In 2016, The Gadget Show featured the Kissing App “Kissenger” – a sensory-stimulating technology that mimicked a real kiss through a touchpad, similar to the latest invention.

The 2016 team created an iOS prototype that plugged into the phone’s headphone jack and was triggered through the pressure put onto the device.

“It is slightly strange how it’s actually moving and the pressure is moving around,” Amy Williams, from The Gadget Show, said.

“There’s sort of like pressure you then feel on your lips.”