With more and more couples meeting and communicating online these days, devices to make computer-based courtships easier are on the forefront of some designers’ minds. Unfortunately, most of their ideas wind up being totally creepy. This concept is designed to transmit the feeling of one person’s kiss to another person via a tongue-controlled rotating piece of plastic. When one lover sticks the piece of plastic in his mouth, the other partner – also with the device in her mouth – can “feel” how his tongue is moving. The researchers behind the device are quick to point out that tongue movement is far from the only sensation involved in a satisfying kiss, so there is much more work to be done before this technology reaches its full potential.

The creepiest part of this very weird concept is that the researchers suggest it could be used to store kiss information from various people. That data could then be purchased and used by anyone. Celebrities, for example, could “record” their kiss pattern and die-hard fans could then close their eyes and pretend that their small kissing device is, in fact, Justin Bieber, Halle Berry or whoever floats their particular boat. Creepy and kind of icky, yes – but easier than trying to get a celebrity to kiss you for real.