We need to talk about sex, robotics experts say
BRITAIN: Move over, blow-up dolls - the sex robots are here.
In a report, the Foundation for Responsible Robotics says rapidly advancing technologies have already led to the creation of ‘‘android love dolls’’ capable of performing 50 automated sexual positions. They can be customised down to the nipple shape and pubic hair colour, and can cost between US$5000 and US$15,000 (NZ$6900 and $20,600).
The report says the increasingly lifelike robots raise complex issues that should be considered by policymakers and the public, including whether the use of such devices should be encouraged in sexual therapy clinics and for sex offenders, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Noel Sharkey, a professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield, said it was difficult to predict how far or fast the market would grow, or what its effect on societies might be in years ahead.
The report looked at some of the most contentious issues, asking academics, members of the public and the sex industry for their views on whether, for example, sex robots might be helpful in reducing sexual crimes.
There are currently four ‘‘love doll’’ manufacturers, and they are starting to incorporate artificial intelligence so the robots can communicate and respond to human emotions. Doll brothels already operate in South Korea, Japan and Spain.
The report said that as robotics, telecommunications and virtual reality merged, a sex doll could be created which was a replica of a long-distance partner, so that couples could have virtual sex.
But the authors warned that users could become socially isolated or even addicted to the machines. which could never replace real human contact. ‘‘The best they can do is fake it,’’ Sharkey said.
The authors said it might be necessary to criminalise ‘‘robotic rape’’ and to build in sensors to prevent users developing violent sexual tendencies. They also called for a ban on child sex dolls.
– Reuters, Telegraph Group