A 'Male Body' Functions as Smartphone Charger
Paul is a "male body" created by Justin Crowe which is making a statement about technology and sexuality. Paul is 3 ft tall without a head, legs and arms but with an integrated smartphone charger.
The charging dock appears where the man's private part would normally be. The plug part is located behind, emerging from the rear end of Paul.
It is up on Kickstarter where backers can get their own Paul for a $400 pledge, assuming the $8,000 funding goal is met. Crowe has given his creation the title of "The Sexiest Smartphone Charger on the Planet," saying technology should do more than just represent sexuality—it should literally be sexy.
According to Kickstarter, Paul exists as "a sarcastic piece made in response to the current popular trends in social and mobile technologies." Its iPhone charger design "explores modern technology's affect on human sexuality." Paul can be used for charging a variety of mobile devices including the iPhone, Android and other Galaxy smartphones.
CNET reports Paul is challenging the impact technology has on human sexuality. "Sexuality itself remains the same, but the tools we use to express it are changing. Because the digital nature of the Internet has robbed us of some of our most 'human' experiences like observing body language, tone of voice, or even physical interaction, our culture has created alternative tools to achieve comparable feelings in this new realm," Crowe told CNET.
There are two Paul chargers that are currently functioning. Each one has been handmade and took 40 hours each to inject foam into molds and finish it with a sanded plaster surface. Crowe took Kickstarter as a platform to raise funds in order to improve the surface treatment and upgrade it to massive silicone mold to produce large quantities.
Crowe's Kickstarter project has $2,130 from 11 backers with 15 days to go as of this writing. But as CNET reports, Paul would certainly make a statement in the living room, bringing back to the classical sculpture while trying the human form to modern digital world.