Is This the Future of Sex? Exploring AI-Driven Pleasure Devices

Welcome to the Libido Lounge

Dr. Diane: Welcome to the Libido Lounge, where we focus on all things love, lust, and libido. We believe that fabulous sex is as important to health as exercise and good food. Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode! I’m your host, Dr. Diane, your libido expert, and I have a juicy episode in store for you today. Joining me is Anna Lee, one of the founders of the Lioness vibrator—and let me tell you, this is not your usual vibrator.

Before we dive into the details of today’s conversation, I want to remind you that research and my own clinical experience show vibrator use can help with pain during sex, numbness, pelvic floor dysfunction, better and longer orgasms, vaginal dryness, connection with a partner, and so much more. Vibrators aren’t just for pleasure—they can be healing tools too.

Today we’re talking about a very special vibrator. We’ll explore what makes it unique, what inspired Anna to create it, and how it’s changing the way people engage with their pleasure.

What Makes the Lioness Vibrator Different?

Dr. Diane: Welcome, Anna, and thank you for being here!

Anna: Thanks for having me! That was such a lovely introduction.

Dr. Diane: Your product is amazing. Before we get into all the juicy fun, let’s set the stage. I’ll share my experience, and I’d love to hear yours too. Can you tell us what makes the Lioness different from the standard vibrator?

Anna: It may look like a typical rabbit-style vibrator, but it’s the first and only smart vibrator that gives you biofeedback data about your own pleasure and orgasms. We like to say it’s like a Fitbit or Oura Ring for your sexual pleasure. It helps you understand what’s working, what’s changing, and what your body is telling you—something most people never track.

Dr. Diane: That’s exactly what I’ve found, too. I’ve been a fan of vibrators for decades, and I’ve been using the Lioness for about three or four weeks now. What I’ve noticed right away is that, just like with a Fitbit, when you get that feedback, it creates this dopamine loop—motivation to explore more. It’s actually increased the time I spend in pleasure, both with myself and my partner. The data makes me more curious, and that curiosity deepens my self-care and pleasure practices.

Anna: I completely relate. Before starting this company, I was really scared of my own body. I’d maybe masturbate but never think about what made it a good experience. With the data from Lioness, I slowly started to understand my body from a physiological perspective. That helped me embrace my sexuality and feel more comfortable in my skin. You really nailed it—knowledge is pleasure.

Using the Lioness for Partnered Play

Dr. Diane: I’m curious about what you’ve seen in partner play. Sometimes vibrators can be intimidating in relationships, especially for the partner. But I think this product, with its feedback component, might actually make it easier to bring partners in and get creative together.

Anna: Absolutely. A lot of people think of vibrators as solo tools. But during research and testing, we found people sharing their data with their partners—like, “Look what this session looked like!” One tester told us she had a hard time bringing up that she wanted more foreplay. So she brought in the toy and used it as a fun way to show, “Hey, it took me 30 minutes to get to orgasm with just the vibrator.” Her partner saw the data and finally got it—he realized she needed more time and buildup. It became a playful, non-accusatory way to communicate and explore together.

Dr. Diane: That’s amazing. It becomes about curiosity and creativity, not criticism. And it’s a great way to de-stigmatize toys in relationships.

How the Lioness Came to Life

Dr. Diane: Let’s go back to the beginning—what inspired you to create the Lioness?

Anna: My background is in mechanical engineering—I used to work at Amazon building Kindles. About nine years ago, I wanted to build a better vibrator. At the time, I was very scared of my body and never thought I’d be doing interviews like this. But I saw that vibrators hadn’t really evolved in their engineering. The sex toy industry was (and still is) male-dominated. I met a guy from a now-defunct sex toy company who said he tested vibrators by putting them on his nose. That’s what he thought a clitoris feels like! That moment made me realize how little real feedback or research went into designing for vulvas.

At first, we wanted to build an AI-powered vibrator that could learn from you and adjust. But we quickly discovered how little research exists on female pleasure. The one meaningful study we found was from the 1980s, showing that orgasms involve rhythmic pelvic floor contractions. That became the basis of our technology.

Dr. Diane: It’s shocking how little data exists. No wonder scientists, professors, and pharmaceutical companies struggle with female pleasure and disorders—it’s so individual. And your vibrator helps women track their unique erotic responses, right?

Anna: Exactly. It’s not about being analytical all the time, but taking time to reflect—what’s working for me? I recently looked at my data from 2017 versus now. It takes me longer to orgasm now, but the orgasms are longer and more intense. I didn’t realize this until I compared the data. It shows how we grow and change in our sexual selves.

The Emotional Power of Pleasure Data

Dr. Diane: There’s something really healing about looking at this without judgment. Data helps take away fear, stigma, and self-doubt. It’s just feedback.

Anna: Totally. I’ve learned that stress kills my pleasure—literally. I can see it in the data. When my cortisol is high, I barely feel my orgasm, or it becomes a tiny blip. I was able to show that to partners and say, “Look, I’m not broken—it’s stress.” It helped me have those conversations from a place of understanding instead of frustration.

Dr. Diane: And I bet you get the question “Am I normal?” all the time.

Anna: Constantly. And the answer is yes. Everyone’s body is normal. It’s just about learning your unique patterns.

What the Data Shows: Orgasm Patterns

Dr. Diane: Have you seen any common orgasm patterns in the data you’re collecting?

Anna: Yes! We now have the world’s largest dataset on female sexual function. One of our proudest contributions is a study published with Dr. Jim Pfaus from Prague University. We found three main orgasm patterns:

1. Ocean Wave: The most common. Rhythmic squeezes and relaxations, just like ocean waves.
2. Avalanche: Starts with strong contractions that gradually weaken—like a downward slope.
3. Volcano: A sudden, intense spike and drop—what you see in movies.

These patterns help people realize that different orgasms aren’t “wrong.” They’re just different.

Dr. Diane: Wow, that’s fascinating. Do you have stats on how common each one is?

Anna: It’s tough to give percentages because some people change patterns over time. Originally, we thought people stayed consistent. But now we’ve seen users shift between types—like I’m mostly ocean wave, but I’ve seen avalanche patterns recently. Still, about 80% tend to fall into the ocean wave category.

Dr. Diane: That’s incredible insight into pleasure. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us!

Closing Thoughts

Dr. Diane: Anna, thank you for your work, your vulnerability, and your leadership in helping us all understand our bodies better. This has been such a fun and enlightening conversation.

You can find me on YouTube, on Instagram, and check out our Modern Libido Club for so much more!