Experts
Rachel Maines
Technology Historian
Historian of technology Rachel Maines explains the most fascinating insight to emerge from her current research. Read More
The “Hedonizing Technologies” author wouldn’t bet against it. Ironing, she says, is already a sport. Read More
Activities that were once functional—from gardening to brewing—have become recreational in advanced societies. The author of “Hedonizing Technologies” explains why. Read More
How will vibrators and sex dolls evolve in the age of robotics? Read More
How common is vibrator use among women, men, and societies worldwide? Has this segment of the market been hurt (or stimulated) by the recession? Read More
The “Technology of Orgasm” author recounts the outrageous history of female genital “manipulators,” from water-powered turbines to the contraption called the Chattanooga. Read More
And did the doctors who claimed to “treat” it by inducing orgasm know better? Rachel Maines reveals the truth behind the historical rumors. Read More
When Rachel Maines first published a history of the vibrator (“The Technology of Orgasm”), she “expected it to derail [her] career, and it did.” But even she wasn’t prepared for its impact outside academia. Read More
About Rachel Maines
Rachel Maines is a visiting scientist in the Cornell University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her principal research interests lie in the history of technology, especially issues relating to technology and the body, such as sexuality, medicine, technological risk, and injury epidemiology. She is the author of three books: "The Technology of Orgasm: 'Hysteria,' Vibrators, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction" (1999), "Asbestos and Fire: Technological Tradeoffs and the Body at Risk" (2005), and her most recent, "Hedonizing Technologies: Pathways to Pleasure in Hobbies and Leisure," published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2009.