Those in long-distance relationships who were feeling lonely and missing their partner's loving touch have some hope now. A Beijing-based Chinese startup has developed a long-distance kissing machine that transmits users' kiss data collected via motion sensors hidden in silicon lips which move at the same time when replaying kisses received. MUA captures and replays sound and warms up slightly during kissing, making the experience more authentic, reports The Guardian. 

The MUA is shaped like a mobile stand with colorless pursed unisex lips protruding from the front. It is also available in different colors of unisex lips. To use it, lovers must first download an app on their smartphones and pair their kissing machines with it and Bluetooth. When they kiss the device, it returns the affection. Users can also download kissing data submitted by other users via an accompanying app. Lockdown isolation inspired the invention. "I was in a relationship back then but I couldn't meet my girlfriend due to lockdowns," said inventor Zhao Jianbo. Some people were also concerned that the device could be used for erotic content online, which is strictly prohibited in China. Zhao stated that his company abides by regulations but that "there's little we can do as for how people use the device."

He was a graduate student at the Beijing Film Academy at the time and his graduate project focused on the lack of physical intimacy in video calls. He later founded Siweifushe, which released its first product, MUA in January. The device costs $38. He claims that in the two weeks following its release, the company sold over 3,000 kissing machines and received over 20,000 orders, clearly showing the demand, according to REUTERS. 

It has since then received mixed reviews, with some users finding it intriguing while others finding it unsettling. One of the most common complaints was that it lacked a tongue. "In my university, I was in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend so we only contact each other through the phone," Jiang Zhongli, the lead inventor of the device, told Global Times. "That's where the inspiration for this device originated." Jiang applied for a patent in 2019 and the patent ended in January 2023. Jiang expressed surprise that his invention had gained popularity and expressed hope that someone interested in this device could expand and perfect the design. Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology patented the invention. MUA is not the first remote kissing device on the market. In 2011, researchers at Tokyo's University of Electro-Communications created a "kiss transmission machine" and in 2016, Malaysia's Imagineering Institute created a similar device called the "Kissinger."