Robotics tsar: Ban ‘childlike’ sex dolls

THE POSSESSION of child-like sex dolls and robots should be made illegal, a Government adviser on robotics says.

Professor Noel Sharkey, emeritus professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Sheffield, warned that although child sex robots were not yet available, the law needed to be ‘future-proofed’ because he believes they will be soon.

His call follows the seizure by police of more than 100 child-like sex dolls destined for paedophiles in just the last year.

Under current legislation, Border Force officers have the power to seize indecent or obscene items but there is no automatic ban on such lifelike child dolls.

‘There have been three prosecutions in this country in the last year for importing them but not for possession,’ said Prof

‘It is horrendous - the loophole needs closing’

Sharkey, a UN adviser and judge of the BBC’s Robot Wars.

He said he wanted the Government to close the loophole under which sex dolls cannot be sent through the post or imported, but can be bought in shops or collected from another person.

He said: ‘New laws must be brought in so that possession of child sex dolls becomes illegal. I want this law to be future-proof, so it also bans child sex robots, which will come down the line. It is horrendous, but you can design the child sex robot to be like an actual person.’

However, he said that there might be a need for licensed therapists to be able to use childlike sex dolls to help paedophiles to control their behaviour, and his organisation, the Foundation for Responsible Robotics, is currently carrying out research into this.

He said: ‘Somebody said it was like morphine for junkies. It disgusts me but as a scientist you have to be objective and gather evidence.’

He added he was also concerned over the rise of adult sex robots.

‘In South Korea, prostitution is banned so they opened real doll brothels,’ he added. ‘It was so popular it spread to Japan. There’s one in Barcelona and they’re opening one in London.’