High-tech sex toy for women wins back rescinded CES award

The Associated Press

5 years ago

The employees of the start-up Lora DiCarlo, from left: Lola Vars, technical director, Lora Hadd ... — The employees of the start-up Lora DiCarlo, from left: Lola Vars, technical director, Lora Haddock, founder and CEO, and Sarah Brown, director of marketing, outside the Hughes Center offices in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

An award from ShowStoppers for Lora DiCarlo’s product, a vibrator-like device created for female sexual pleasure called the Osé, at the Hughes Center offices in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

ARLINGTON, Va. — A trade group has reinstated an award to the makers of a robotic sex toy for women that it had taken away four months ago for not keeping with its image.

The Consumer Technology Association on Wednesday restored the Consumer Electronics Show’s 2019 Innovation Award in the robotics and drones category to the Osé “robotic massager” by the Lora DiCarlo company.

The association says it recognizes the “innovative technology” and “reiterates its sincere apology” to the developer.

Association spokesperson Jean Foster says in a statement that “CTA did not handle this award properly.”

An independent panel of judges had selected the Osé last fall, but the Consumer Electronics Show’s organizer later said it was ineligible.

Lora DiCarlo called it sexism, noting that “a literal sex doll for men was launched on the floor at CES in 2018.”