FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE SEX ROBOT.

1 SEX ROBOTS AND THE ELDERLY

Sex robots could soon be used to keep the elderly company and help couples have long-distance sexual relationships, the Foundation for Responsible Robotics said in a new report that warns about the moral and ethical implications of an impending boom in pleasure-bot manufacturing.

2 VIRTUAL SEX A POSSIBILITY

Experts are predicting that in coming decades sex robots will be widespread, used not just as a fetish. Soon, a silicon replica of a long-distance partner could be created so that couples could have virtual sex and speak to each other through the doll’s mouth.

3 DIFFICULT QUESTIONS ARISE

The prospect of sex robots being used in elderly care facilities raises a number of uncomfortable questions. As the co-founder of the Foundation for Responsible Robotics said, “If you have severe Alzheimer’s you can’t really tell the difference.”

4 RESPONDING TO HUMAN EMOTIONS

Companies are starting to incorporate artificial intelligence so robots can communicate and respond to human emotions. Doll brothels operate in South Korea, Japan and Spain, while the first robotic oral sex coffee shop opened in London, U.K., last year.

5 ADDICTION FEARED

It’s apparently time to think about whether governments need to regulate the robots. The fear is users will become addicted to the machines. The authors of the report said it may be necessary to criminalize “robotic rape” and to build in “handled roughly” sensors to prevent users from developing violent sexual tendencies. They called for a ban on child sex dolls.