Controlled Sensations
A Computer Controlled Bondage Station

Introduction

In this series of web pages, I will be describing the Controlled Sensations bondage station, explaining how it works and what it can do, and to even provide enough information that you can build your own version of part or all of the station.  The Controlled Sensations bondage station contains many parts, but as much as possible, while the parts interact with each other, they are also designed so as to be able to operate independently.  So if you wished, you could build your own station that included only those parts which appeal to your own interests.  Or perhaps reading about my creation will inspire you to create your own.

At the heart of the station is a sophisticated computer program that can generate a wide range of sensations based on the inputs from the control operator. The computer software would typically be run on a laptop computer.  This laptop computer would then be interfaced to various devices through standard or special purpose interfaces.  The various stimulation devices in turn would create sensations that would be applied to the "victim/bottom".  I use the term "victim/bottom" here only because persons who chose to subject themselves to the clutches of this device, often like to fantasize about the scene in process such that they imagine themselves being stimulated against their will.  Certainly I do not intend for my device to actually be used non-consensually.  Actually when I have taken this station to events, people have lined up for a chance to ride.   

One of the aspects of the Controlled Sensations station as I envisioned it, was to be a "lazy Top" toy.  That is, the Top would be able to secure the bottom in the station, select a scenario and set various parameters, and then just set back and watch as the scene progressed.  Of course, the Top can adjust the parameters from time to time, if desired, but can also just let the computer do all the work.  So while the bottom received an intense and engaging session, the Top can do as much or as little interaction as He/She wishes.
Scenes can be designed to be very intense, very frustrating or very relaxing or any combination of these.  Often long scenes are designed to cycle between these elements with very different sensations occurring at different times.

I have been constructing the station over the last couple of years and taken it to several BDSM conventions to rave reviews.  Typically I offer "rides" of 3 hours, so more folks will have a chance to ride, but 8 or more hours are quite do-able, assuming arrangements are made for drinking water and urination.


History

The development of the Controlled Sensations bondage station began in 2004.  The original idea grew out of a conversation with a local Pro-Domme about a scene she had done with one of her personals.  It seemed that she had placed him in very restrictive horizontal bondage and connected him to both a Venus 2000 (stroking his penis) and an ET-312 electric stimulation device (driving a butt plug). He was left in this predicament overnight. Apparently by morning he was basically incoherent from the experience. It was that intense!

I began thinking about how to take a scene, like she described, to the next level.  Would it be possible to have the Venus 2000 and the ET-312 controlled by a computer, so that the sensations received would vary during the night.  For example, at times the Venus might be stroking fast and at other times slowly or not at all.  Could the E-stim signals turn on and off at different times or change intensity from time to time.

Also I remembered the book "The Joy of Sex", which I had read many years ago.  In it, there was described a technique called "Slow Masturbation".  According to the book, the man was tied down and the woman would stroke his penis with 10 fast strokes followed by 10 very slow strokes, and continue to alternate between the two speeds.  Apparently, the man would become more and more desperate 
to orgasm, but because of the varying stoking speeds, would be unable to do so.  So while the urgency to cum would grow and grow, the ability to cum would continue to elude him.  (Hence the need for the bondage.)

Would it be possible to hook a computer to the Venus 2000 in order to create this scenario?   While it is certainly preferable (at least for us Het guys) to have a woman perform this Slow Masturbation procedure, it's not easy to find one who will do this for hours at a time, let alone overnight.  If it could be done by computer, the duration would not be limited by the stamina of the Domme.

The first generation of Controlled Sensation was able to control just these two devices, and only in a rather crude way.  I used a relay board from Carl's Electronics to enable and disable the ET-312 output wires and to created a 6 bit "variable resistor" to set 64 different Venus speeds using the parallel port of the computer.  This hookup worked surprisingly well, and inspired me onto further development.




Station Parts

Below is a list of the parts and capabilities of Controlled Sensations as it exists today.  As time permits, I will be providing detailed documentation about each of these parts, so while very little is documented at the moment, please to check back to this web site from time to time.  Also as the station continues to be upgraded, I plan to update these web pages to reflect the new changes and improvements.

Table:  I started with a table from BDGsales and then modified it so the knees can be elevated.  This unloads the lower back and keeps it from cramping.

Head Box:  The head box is completely sealed except for a cutout for the neck.  Inside this head box, are small speakers for sound, a fan for fresh air and white noise, and a computer monitor for displaying erotic images to the person inside.

Arm Tubes: To increase the security, the bottom's hands and arms are enclosed in thick walled PVC pipe mounted at a slight angle to prevent elbows and shoulders from cramping over time.  The arms are free to move inside the pipes also, but cannot get out to undo anything.

Software: To keep the bottom from getting bored, I have created an elaborate computer software program that can apply stimulation to the person. The first version was written in Perl, but I have now rewritten everything in Python. Click here to download the source code.

Venus 2000:   Stroke speed was originally controlled via a multi-postion resistor constructed from 6 relays, with position sensing using a reed relay.  The current design uses a solid state variable resistor for speed control and photo cells for position sensing.

Venus Receiver Stand:  Two versions of this have been built.  The purpose is to keep the Venus receiver properly aligned on the penis, and to not allow to bottom to either increase or decrease the sensations or stroke speed.

Vibrators:   (3 volt up to 600ma) via two PWM circuits

ET-312:  controlled via relays and direct serial commands from the computer

Innotek FS-500A:  by adding a small jack to the control unit, and using a relay to simulate "holding down" the black button.

Electric Locks:  via relay controlled 12 volt outputs

Music:  via Winamp using the computer's sound output, typically played thru the head box speakers

Microphone: 
Using the computer's microphone input, the Top's voice can be projected thru the head box speakers

Nova Pro 100:  Using Music from Tamas Labs (strobe glasses), or directly via a serial port

Erotic Images:  can be displayed inside the head box via the external monitor on a laptop, and optionally via I-Glasses.  Directories of images are typically played at random, content based on what the turns on the  person. I have developed software to prepare images for use with the system. You can download this software by clicking here.

Text messages: text can be superimposed on the Displayed Images.

Input buttons:  push buttons, made available to the bottom, can be programmed to have a variety of effects on the script

Beep:  computer generated sounds, usually indicating correct responses or invalid responses on the input buttons.

Dialogs:  messages displayed to operator to prompt for setup confirmation


Materials

Printed Circuit Boards:  The controlled Sensations Bondage Station uses a number of circuit boards that were custom designed for this project.  To make this affordable and available to others, I used ExpressPCB who offers free design software and very reasonable prices on small quantities.  On this web site you will find the complete schematic and layout files for each PCB in ready to order, ExpressPCB format.  So even if you have no experience with PC board design, you will be able to order the boards you need.

Electronic Parts:  Small electronic parts can be ordered from either Jameco or Mouser.  Both offer on-line ordering of small quantities at reasonable prices.  Whenever possible I have tried to use parts that are commonly stocked and inexpensive, but without sacrificing quality.

Software:  All of the software used in the Controlled Sensations project is available on a royalty free basis.  Some of it is GPL, some is public domain but none of it requires the payment of fees for private/personal use.  I chose the Perl programming system for this project, and all the Perl source code will be posted here. The software was developed specifically for the Microsoft Windows OS, but can be ported to other OS's without too much trouble.


Contact Information

Note: due to excessive SPAM, I have removed the Controlled Sensations Forum