Is there more to robot sex than Roxxxy?
Recently we had a reader write in to ask about developments in “bringing sex robots to market”. He wanted to know whether there were any budding companies out there that might deliver in ways True Companion, creators of the most notorious sex robot, Roxxxy, had not. We figured we’d share our response with everyone.
As far as we know, there aren’t too many companies working on this stuff. We do keep reviews and product overviews of sexbots in our Bizarre Bazaar section [NSFW], but here is a quick primer on what’s available:
Andy Droid
While Andry Droid doesn’t have an artificial intelligence (AI) engine, she does boast a pulse as well as a heartbeat.
True Companion
As mentioned, True Companion is the team behind Roxxxy, the sex robot that brought media attention to sex robots. Roxxxy does boast AI capability and an impressive synthetic skin.
Sex Bots
Sex Bots are life-size robotic companions, activated by touch or remote control. They have a line of bots available, with a few interesting options thrown in (Unisex, for example).
However, the robots mentioned above are all reasonably similar–they bear a human appearance, are capable of limited interaction, and boast no mobility–so if you’re not impressed with Roxxxy then it’s unlikely they’ll blow you away.
That’s not really the shape of the potential market, though. What’s more telling than those obvious selections is the relevant headway being made in robotics generally. There are people out there advancing all the components a working sex bot would need, but they’re doing it separately. Here’s an overview of some of the pertinent movements in robotics:
Personality
We have already seen the readiness with which humans will attach themselves emotionally to robots. Whether you’re looking at Paro, the robot used to help patients with Alzheimer’s; ZYSDF, the robot used to collect donations from people on the street; or Tweenbots, the cute robots that rely on human interaction to get where they’re going, what we’re seeing is that it is incredibly easy for humans to open their hearts to robots. Currently, there are people like Heather at MarilynMonrobot.com and Martin Saerbeck trying to create robot personalities, which will be a vital feature for robot companions.
Robot “bodies”
Looking past the bots that are strictly developed for sex, there is lots being done to achieve realistic, human-esque robots. We’re not just talking about fembots like Aiko, either. The Geminoid-DK models are incredibly lifelike, and will no doubt spawn more of the same. See the video below for proof of just how uncanny the likeness to human features and movements can be.
Control Systems
As well as advances in the exoskeletons of robots, we are seeing the evolution of their control systems. What was once limited to a set-up of master/slave hardware, is now possible through full body motion-capture systems. You can see an example of Taylor Veltrop’s hybrid Kinect/Wii robot control system below.
When you throw all that together, you arrive at a robot that looks like a human, behaves like a human and can be controlled in any number of ways. It won’t take long for that same robot to be adapted to suit the very human needs of the libido.
i’m sure there is a market for sex robots
That silicone fleshed machine is truly frightening ;I cannot and do not want to be able to wrap my mind around doing anything to that THING. As if human males are not twisted enough at experimenting with what to do with semen not used for fertilization… Now men are being encouraged to become intimate with a servo jointed machine covered in silicone rubber.. orgasm with it … control it. This is completely different than fantasy or masturbation. This is chemical slavery. I shudder at the thought of a new wave of men owning these monstrosities and becoming addicted to using them. Arrrrggghhhh eeewww cleaning them up… hiding away with them. This is horrifying and glitch in evolution. Talk about OBJECTIFYING women … it is an artificial human usable sex body object. It is DEAD… HELLO-DEAD. AS if depersonalized narcissists were not practicing enough date raping. This looks like a necrophiliac’s practice tool. I’m unfortunately sure it will sell very well, in this sick smart-phone night glow net addicted hell we call technological existence. Sociopaths can read love sonnets from backlit kindle readers as they defile the dead chemical laden silicone corpse. God HELP us all.
Well, I’d rather have people such as you speak about “raping” a doll, engaging in “necrophilia” with a doll than do to so with actual humans or human corpses. Also, many say the earth is over populated, so these people won’t breed. They aren’t hurting anyone IMO. I used to be just disgusted by this whole phenomenon. Even wrote the RealDoll company an email expressing as much in my youth, but now, those men that want quiet obedient non-emotional women that look like the photoshopped models from Vogue or even Playboy can have them in the only state they really exist – life like sex dolls and leave the rest of us alone. Win/win.