Robotics have integrated themselves into the lives of humans for decades. Self-driving cars, drones, Siri, Alexa, Cortana...not to mention all of the beloved (although fictional) androids of Star Wars. But, for the first time, in real life, humans will be able to act out all of their desires with a functioning robot who looks and feels almost the same as a real partner.
For twenty years, Abyss Creations has manufactured life-size sex dolls called RealDolls, made of pose-able PVC and silicone. The dolls are beautiful to look at and it takes the company 80 work hours to create each doll for customers. Abyss Creations offers the dolls made to one-of-a-kind specifics and also have generic offerings of male, female, light-weight petite and licensed pornstar dolls. The dolls feature seven-inch-deep mouths and removable vaginal inserts for easy cleaning. Sex doll concepts are nothing new, but RealDoll founder, Mike McMullen, announced that, later this year, the dolls will feature built-in heaters to mimic human body heat, sensors that will respond to the dolls being touched and artificial intelligence programming.
"We are building an A.I. system, which can either be connected to a robotic doll or experienced in a (virtual reality) environment," said McMullen in an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit. "I think it will allow for an option that never existed before, and for some, may represent a happiness they (users) never thought they could have."
Sex with robots is a subject met with both admiration and downright disgust. Robot Ethicist Kathleen Richards has headed up a very vocal campaign against sexbots.
"Sex robots seem to be a growing focus in the robotics industry and the models that they draw on—how they will look, what roles they would play—are very disturbing indeed," Richards told the BBC. "We think that the creation of such robots will contribute to detrimental relationships between men and women, adults and children, men and men and women and women" [Ed: It’s nice to see that discrimination against A.I. is gender-inclusive in nature] .
David Levy, author of Love And Sex With Robots, has imagined a more positive world with sexbots.
"I’ve no doubt some will find it creepy," said Levy in an article he penned for U.K.-based DailyMail.com, "But, we can be clear on this: the arrival of sexually-responsive robots will have enormous consequences. We have already seen rapid changes in human relationships thanks to the internet, mobile devices and social media. That same proliferation of technology has also brought about an explosive increase of intimate encounters of every kind that we can experience on our screens."
"There are many millions of people in this world who are very lonely because they have no one to love and no one who loves them. This might be for any of a number of reasons. They might be shy. They might have psychological or psycho-sexual hangups. They might be socially unacceptable for one reason or another—ugliness, personal hygiene, totally lacking in social skills, unable to make interesting, amusing conversation at the right level with those who they find attractive. For these socially-challenged people, a more appropriate question to ask is not ‘Why is it better to love or have sex with a robot than with another human?’ but, ‘Is it better to love or have sex with a robot or to have no love or sex at all?’"
Levy has some good points. The RealDoll. com website is filled with testimonials of many happy customers. Customers who currently pay over $5,000 for their dolls and will pay up to around $15,000 for a sexbot, when the company starts producing them.
"I am so happy that I bought my Real Doll," writes a satisfied, anonymous customer on the RealDoll website. "She is not just some thing that (I) use and then put in my closet. She is my actual girlfriend. I love her and she is my princess...I am so excited for the new realbotix (sic) to come out."
And, with television shows like HBO’s Westworld gaining viewers every week (the series takes place in a fictional Western amusement park, where humans act out any fantasy they choose with robotic droids) and its first episode debuting to two million viewers (according to the Hollywood Reporter), it seems like the collective consciousness may be ready for more artificial intimacy.
