Artificial intelligence is said to help students pass exams and make the workday easier, but now it’s being used in the bedroom too.
Patricia Lopez uses the technology to help up to 30 percent of adult men who suffer from premature ejaculation last longer during sex.
MyHixel is a Fleshlight sex toy with a companion app. In combination, they train men to last longer in bed and studies show that endurance can increase up to seven times.
Lopez told DailyMail.com that she was inspired to create the device because she found most sex toys for men to be “very explicit” rather than focusing on sexual wellness.
Company founder Patricia Lopez launched the MyHixel Control app and device after seeing a gap in the market (Myhixel)
Myhixel has now sold 30,000 units and is climbing.
The Control device works for men with primary premature ejaculation (who have always had the problem) and secondary premature ejaculation (people who develop it later in life).
“It also works for men who want to improve their technique,” says Lopez.
Lopez said, “Ultimately, we teach men how to control the mechanisms involved in the process.
“It’s surprising that most men have no idea how it works and how to control it.”
Lopez said: “It is a huge challenge for a brand like ours: women talk about sexual problems in a very natural way and accept them openly, while about 80% of men will not seek professional help. They don’t talk to friends. They usually look for solutions on the internet.
Lopez worked with doctors and sex therapists to design an app and device that would work together to beat premature ejaculation, which affects up to a third of men at some point in their lives.
The video-based cognitive therapy in the app is progressive and uses machine learning and AI to personalize the ‘lessons’ for each user (Myhixel)
Lopez said, “The doctors we worked with thought, ‘Okay, we need to add a product that mimics the feeling of real penetration, because otherwise there’s a gap between the training phase and real penetration. This way we allow our users to train very realistically.”
The app uses cognitive behavioral therapy delivered via video to treat premature ejaculation; “It’s how sex therapists typically treat it,” Lopez said.
The video-based cognitive therapy in the app is progressive and uses machine learning and AI to personalize the ‘lessons’ for each user.
Lopez said, “The program uses machine learning from the beginning of the user journey to adapt to their needs, and progress depends on their results.”
Lopez said the device has undergone three clinical trials published in scientific journals, including the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The Control device can help men last up to seven times longer (Myhixel)
The device pairs with a special app (Myhixel)
During the tests, some men managed to multiply the time they lasted by up to seven times.
Lopez said, “One started at two minutes, and then the program could go as long as fourteen minutes. It is believed that the entire group no longer suffers from premature ejaculation.’
Averaged over the three tests, users start with three minutes and can last 10 to 11 minutes by the time they complete the program.
The $320 Myhixel II device connects to the app via Bluetooth and has an IPX7 waterproof rating, so it can be submerged in water for washing.
The app also offers nutrition, fitness and mindfulness plans designed by sexual health experts to improve performance.
Patricia Lopez was studying tourism at university and working in marketing for a leading sex toy brand when she noticed a lack of products for men.
She said: ‘I used to attend events and fairs in that space. It is a space where many more brands and products are related to the female audience. Women-focused brands were the ones that typically launched new products, modernized them and led the way.
Company founder Patricia Lopez launched the MyHixel Control app and device after seeing a gap in the market (Myhixel)
Lopez first noticed brands in the female market moving towards a “health and wellness” approach in 2016, and found this approach smart and interesting.
“It’s a way to break taboos and open more sales channels,” she said. ‘To me it was quite clever. I thought no one was doing this for the men’s market; most products were very explicit.’
Lopez spoke with sex therapists, doctors and neurologists to understand how products could address male sexual conditions such as premature ejaculation.
“The feedback I got was quite positive,” she said.
She pitched it to the sex toy company she worked for — “They weren’t interested,” she said — and then quit her job and started her own company in her native Spain.
She collaborated with a sexology institute in Spain to develop a product that included not only physical toys, but also educational content from therapists.
“We found a lack of education among men when it comes to sexual health,” she said.
Lopez said, “We’re making it a gamified, online program. We provide video tutorials to educate men on anatomy – and then they have to overcome various challenges using the device. They learn to control their body and mind.’
In the coming months, the company will be working on a new product aimed at men with erectile dysfunction.