A sex toy that works for people with vaginas.
License: TAPR Open Hardware
Copyright (c) 2023 Maura Hubbell
Because no sex toy on the market worked for me, and I've tried a wide variety of sex toys. I know that other trans women, and other middle-aged women, have had the same problem.
I've decided to publish this design as open hardware because I'm doubtful that anyone can build a viable business from a design like this. Even if it's possible, I don't want the hassle of running that business. However, I want as many people to have a copy of this toy as possible as cheaply as possible if they want one.
The bulbous tip of the inverted V on the left in the image above goes into the vagina. It stimulates the G-spot or, in the case of trans women who've had sex reassignment surgery, the prostate. The flattened area where the inverted V meets the handle stimulates the clitoris. Move the toy as desired.
- mesh.stl - STL is a polygon-based CAM format that's popular with manufacturers. This, or something like it, is what you'll need to send to a fabricator. The units for the file are millimeters.
- mesh.blend - The Blender file from which I generated the STL. The geometry is an extensively edited mesh because Blender's automatic conversion from parametric volumes to polygons leaves numerous artifacts.
- volume.blend - The Blender file of parametric volumes on which
mesh.blendis based.
- Glass - A tried and true safe material for sex toys. It's even dishwasher safe if it's borosilicate glass. I got a copy of the above manufactured at Seattle Glassblowing Studio for a little under $200 including tax in 2023. They needed a prototype to work from, though, so you still need to 3D print the design.
- Nylon - I believe the material to be safe because some medical devices are made from nylon, but I'm not sure about the porosity of any 3D-printed object. In sex toys, porosity is a biological hazard. I used the HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing process from Xometry. You need to use the vapor smoothing finish or your toy will have a surface something like sandpaper.
- Polyurethane - This is the same material that trans women's dilators are made of so I'm confident of its safety, but since it's a molding process, minimum quantities and costs are higher than for nylon.
- Stainless steel - I haven't investigated steel at all, but there are plenty of stainless toys on the market. They are also dishwasher-safe and durable.
- Poly(methyl methacrylate) - I made the earliest versions of this toy out of PMMA (sold under the brand name Lucite™) without the aid of CAD/CAM, only to be informed later that PMMA is not body-safe.
Xometry does not claim that any of its 3D-printing processes produce medical-grade devices. I have not investigated what, if anything, differentiates medical-grade plastics from others.