Sex at 350 RPMs: The Story of FuckingMachines.com

• July 09 2025

A Short History of Mechanical Intimacy

Stones and Bones

The history of sex machines dates back to 30,000-year-old stones and bones obscured by centuries of myth and hazy facts. The most popular take on modern sex machine origins begins with Dr. Mortimer Granville's 1883 invention of the first electric vibrator.

The Hysteria Myth

The theory that this device treated "hysteria" in female patients was popularized in Rachel Maines' 1998 book "The Technology of Orgasm." This narrative suggested Victorian doctors used vibrators to induce "hysterical paroxysm" (orgasm) as medical treatment. However, modern historians have found little to no actual historical evidence supporting Maines' theory.

Dodson's "Cadillac of Vibrators"

Sexologist Betty Dodson brought the electric vibrator to the forefront of the 1970s pro-sex feminist movement, calling the Hitachi Magic Wand (marketed through Vibratex) the "Cadillac of vibrators." Dodson's workshops and writings helped destigmatize masturbation and positioned vibrators as tools of sexual liberation and symbols of female sexual empowerment.

The Sybian Emerges

Handheld personal massagers remained the only popular option until 1985 when Dave Lampert introduced the prototype "Sybian." Although Lampert's invention was basically a non-thrusting, giant vibrator, it opened the door to mainstream marketing of "luxury" pleasure devices.

The FuckingMachines.com Revolution

The leading catalyst for modern sex machine popularity is largely attributed to FuckingMachines.com. Launched in 2000 by a small team based out of a house in San Francisco's Marina district, the site became a cornerstone of industry leader KINK.com.

Cultural Impact

The Trademark Battle

When KINK's 2005 application to trademark "fuckingmachines" was denied due to "immoral or scandalous matter," lawyer Marc Randazza appealed with what the Orlando Weekly called "the most entertaining legal document you're likely to come across." Randazza's argument became known as "The Fuck Brief".

"This much maligned four-letter word has no intrinsic meaning. It is a word of force that can assist us in our expressions of joy when used as an infix, as in 'abso-fucking-lutely'. 'Fuck' is an old friend, who can always make us laugh."
- Marc Randazza, The Fuck Brief

Meet the Machines

The Inspiration

As told by founder Peter Acworth

My first personal interaction with fucking machines came around 2000. I lived in a terrace house in the conservative Marina district of San Francisco where bondage shoots were happening regularly for Hogtied.com.

During that time, I came across an incredible video by director Ernest Greene of a woman being fucked by a machine anally, and she was clearly getting off. There was something refreshing about that - a woman having sex without a guy.

Building the Intruder

I sent a pixelated picture of this device to Craigslist seeking an engineer to make something like it. I got varied responses and finally engaged someone. After months of work, this person came back with what would become the infamous fucking machine known as the Intruder (MK 1).

The Engineering Challenge

This machine worked like a dream. No one had ever produced porn with devices like this for the internet age specifically. The machine had one flaw: the metal bar connecting the flywheel to the dildo was solid 1-inch steel, perhaps 2 feet long. The momentum of this rod as it thrusted back and forth at great speed meant you had to stand on the wooden base with both feet to ground it, or strap it firmly to something with enormous mass. I had a pool table made with solid slate, which accounts for why early shoots often featured a woman being fucked with legs spread on green felt.

Expanding the Collection

I immediately bought all the machines I could find online including a Sybian which, amazingly, was already in production, albeit not especially photogenic given that it's only a glorified vibrator.

Going Viral

Very shortly after the site went live, we were inundated with interest and fuckingmachines.com was featured on Playboy's Sexcetera and HBO. Engineers and makers came out of the woodwork, sending us machines to test including the Violator, the Invader and the infamous Cake Mixer!

"We brought it into the average guy's living room or office. It was no longer hard to find for someone. And then more people started inventing machines and approaching us with them."
- Tony Pirelli, FM Director

Part 2...

Stay tuned for a rundown of all the early Fucking Machines in part two of this series!

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Peter Acworth