A Brief History of Sex Dolls 3: Here Come the Sex Robots

The Future is Now and Our Sex Robot Needs Her Chip Set Enhanced.

Have you ever wanted to have sex with a robot? Of course, you have! Of course, you do! What rational human being wouldn’t want to bang or be banged by a sex robot that was specially crafted to satisfy its human partner’s personal needs, desires, quirks, and preferences? They even have sex robots for women or men who like to have sex with man dolls. Only the limits of imagination and accessible technology stand between the lonely, jaded, adventurous, and oh-so-over-the-BS sex robot seeker and a perfect date as well as a place in the carpool lane.

Today’s sex robot is a scientific and artistic marvel. No longer a passive participant in human/sex doll carnality, this generation of mechanical dream makers looks more like a living being than ever before. This is due to the introduction of pelvic thrusters; motorized hands, arms, necks, and eyes; pressure sensors; cameras; the ability to carry on a conversation thanks to artificial intelligence (AI); and a simple download or chip upgrade that helps anticipate and satisfy its human’s habits and preferences.

The future is now, and its names are Roxxxy, Rocky, Solana, Samantha, Emma, and Harmony, among others. Although their eyes still do not sparkle with life, sex robots are closer than ever to believably replicating a man, a woman, or even an alien.

Douglas Hines claims to have created the first-ever sex robot available on the market. His company, TrueCompanion, introduced his female sex robot Roxxxy to the world during the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) / Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE). Promoted as the first such robot with a genuine personality (five, actually), she was followed by a brother named Rocky.

The now-defunct TrueCompanion website claimed that the robots could be loaded with five different roleplay personas that would ensure each sexual encounter was unique. Capable of being sleepy, chatty, or horny, the five characters included S&M Susan, Frigid Farah, Young Yoko, Mature Martha, and any others designed by the user. This range of moods would keep encounters fresh and provide context for them.

The website further claimed “Your TrueCompanion.com robot will deliver the ultimate in robot sex. She will also be able to talk, listen, carry on a conversation, feel your touch, and be your true friend. She can also have an orgasm when you touch her!”

Alas, Roxxxy and Rocky appear to have been prototypes and nothing more. In 2017, Jenny Kleeman reported that no one has admitted to buying anything from TrueCompanion despite a company claim of 4,000 pre-production orders. Sex robot researcher David Levy, who saw Roxxxy days before her CES/AEE debut, is more than a bit skeptical about her abilities. So skeptical that he penned the paper “Roxxxy the ‘Sex Robot’ – Real or Fake?”

Levy’s advice to sex robot lovers on a budget is to “Take a RealDoll or a similar product, add some vibration in the genital area, add some genuine conversational ability, give it some heating elements so it has body warmth… and, hey! Presto! You have a primitive sex robot!”

RealDoll creator and renowned silicone-based humanoid doll maker pioneer Matt McMullen took those words to heart. He is now the founder and COO of Realbotix, a line of responsive sex robots with the illusion of consciousness. By introducing RealDoll Harmony from Abyss Creations in 2018, the Canadian entered the sex robot wars. Harmony’s siblings, Solana and Henry followed soon after. The Spanish and British Chinese joined the market about the same time. AI features were still in their infancy but added to the novelty of purchase and experience. All of these were based on a founding belief that companionship is essential for both an enduring human-human and human-doll connection for not only the able-bodied, but also those with autism, physical disabilities, and advancing age.

Among the top-tier sex robots is the Aiko Love Doll. The hype behind these dolls is intense. Deemed by some to be the most sophisticated of the female bots, her supporters claim that the line possesses astonishing sexual capability, as well as the ability to do practical things like prepare sandwiches, iron clothes, and have a “girlfriend experience” conversation. The perfect Aiko doll can be crafted by using a smartphone app that the doll lover can use to select from hundreds of different looks, garments, personalities, and voices.

Add upgradable AI and the ability of the sex robots to provide a more individualized and intimate encounter is almost limitless. As part of this, there are now sex robots that can participate in a conversation, remember important details, and display emotions. The ability of some robots to track movements with their eyes further smears the line between real and make-believe. Several “bordellos” staffed by AI sex robots have sprung up throughout the world, although most have met with public condemnation, and some have been forced to close.

During 2020, when COVID-19 kept most of humanity home, interest in sex dolls and robots increased, as did their sales. Already familiar with the dolls thanks to the internet and social media, as well as science-fiction and fantasy literature, people sought an escape from their solitude. The idea of sharing space with a sex doll or robot gained popularity. Without the fear of judgment from a disapproving partner, purchasers felt more comfortable exploring their sexuality, including its kinks, with a doll. The ease of online shopping further made the entire process more convenient.

Levy’s book Love and Sex with Robots contends that by 2050, sex robots “will have the capacity to fall in love with humans.” During a 2014 interview with Newsweek, he extolled the theory, saying “I believe that loving sex robots will be a great boon to society. There are millions of people out there who, for one reason or another, cannot establish good relationships.”

The idea of robot/human love or sex has sparked a lively debate on the ethics of eroticizing fembots/gynoids and malebots/androids. Futurologist Ian Pearson agreed with Levy that 2050 will be the year by which both men and women will have more sex with robots than other humans. Given that a 2020 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research revealed that 40 percent of men and 17 percent of women in their 30s who participated said they were willing to try sex with a robot, there are still a lot of people left to seduce.

The study proposed that sex robots become more popular than humans will depend on cultural backgrounds, attitudes toward robots, degree of shyness, desire to experience new sensations, and an enjoyment of manga and games. The more boxes someone, especially a man, can check off, the more likely the human/sex robot encounter is a positive one. Perhaps most remarkable is that the participants’ comfort with this idea had nothing to do with their pre-existing sexual or relationship satisfaction.

Some see this possibility as a good thing. It would, they propose, cut down on STI transmission and prostitution while providing lonely or adventurous people with companionship and a willing partner in sexual exploration. Others strongly disagree and contend that all female sex robots are inherently sexist. Kathleen Richardson, founder of Campaign Against Sex Robots, writes that men use dolls as a substitute for women that they want to objectify, abuse, and turn into sex slaves. Their very existence, Richardson and her supporters insist, is harmful to the men who use them, their female partners, and all of society. Only a total prohibition on sex robots will save us.

Producing sex robots developed in an “ethical way” has been proposed by some who are not comfortable with the idea of human-robot sex but do not want to ban the dolls outright. Alas, what that would look like and how it would be accomplished have not been defined.

Until that happens, and possibly after, Richardson and her followers will continue to equate sex robots with killer robots and female sex slaves. This, of course, requires that one ignore the fact that while most dolls made today resemble stereotypical representations of “hot” women (and men), they can look like anything. Large breasts aren’t required. Only two breasts aren’t required. In fact, breasts aren’t required. Sex robots can look like anime characters, mythological creatures and personalities, real people who’ve given permission to be replicated in sex robot form, and many other people and things.

Nonetheless, the anti-sex robot factions worry about gender alienation, inappropriate escapism, and paraphilias including necrophilia (sexual attraction to the dead), somnophilia (sexual attraction to the unconscious), and agalmatophilia (sexual attraction to statues).

Meanwhile, fans of the dolls, called robosexuals, have a wonderland of sexy robot lover options available now and to look forward to. Some contend that future sex robots will be even more lifelike and could eventually possess sentience, self-awareness, and free will. If they play their cards right, they might even gain legal status as citizens with the right to marry their human owner.