The starting point for my research was the use of VR technology in the recovery of stroke patients, and the sexual experiences of people with disabilities. It is often a taboo subject not discussed enough in the circles of carers, and it is very important for the well-being of many disabled people. Sex drive simply does not disappear, and there is a huge need to take it under consideration when caring for others. I used it as a starting point for my main research, and whilst doing it I stumbled upon the term ‘touch starvation’. Touch starvation refers to the longing for touch or physical contact from other living beings. It typically occurs when a person experiences little to no physical contact for a prolonged amount of time.
In my project, I created a speculative design piece that depicts a range of products that are aimed at addressing that issue in a VR space, aimed at four different audiences (people who are simply lonely, mothers suffering from post-partum depression, incels, and sex offenders) that are often overlooked and either could profit from such a solution or could help in the correction of their dangerous tendencies, providing help to the social workers that are often left on their own to deal with them.
For a critical design element of my project, I designed a propaganda-filled booklet that criticizes the solutions proposed in the project.
‘Technology has evolved faster than our ethics around sex and relationships in those spaces’
-Samantha Bitty
