Sexbot Emma Update: Animatronic Love Doll Can Now Learn and Respond to New Name

Audrey Pope is a robotics researcher and forthcoming author with a special interest in the sex tech industry including the erotic robotics sector. In 2019, Audrey held the position of Summer Robotics Fellow at the University of Washington School of Law where she responded to research interrogatives focused on the intersections of law and technology. She currently holds a Project Commutation Assistant position at Tulsa County Public Defender's Office. Audrey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Women's and Gender Studies, Political Theory, and Anthropology from Vanderbilt University in 2020 where she also graduated cum laude with departmental Honors in Women's and Gender Studies. In 2018, Audrey embarked on an independent research project on the topic of sex robots. The study was part of the School for International Training, Netherlands' International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender program. During the course of her research, Audrey has attended exhibits and events like The Man Machine, an exhibition of films and events about robot technology at the EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam; and the Robot Love expo and convention in Eindhoven, Netherlands. At this second event, artists and scientists came together to question whether or not love can exist between humans and machines. Her project, "A Robotic Reflection" combined primary and secondary research techniques to explore the burgeoning industry of sex robots. She examined the bodies of sex robots not only as a case study of the future of sex but as a groundwork from which to theorize the qualifications of our humanity, at large. Audrey was also a Development Intern for the Center of Sex and Culture (CSC) in San Francisco, California. The Mission of the Center for Sex & Culture is to provide judgment-free education, cultural events, a library/media archive, and other resources to audiences across the sexual and gender spectrum; and to research and disseminate factual information, framing and informing issues of public policy and public health. During her time at CSC, Audrey contributed to the organization's development through engagement with social media, as well as the rebranding of their online communications used in event advertising. She also aided in the renovation of the organization's library, inputting thousands of books into an online database and organizing the collection to meet evolving needs.