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Sex and Robots: Do Humans Dream of Electric Mates?

I can take better care of your children than you Laura. I don’t forget. I don’t get angry, or depressed, or intoxicated. I’m faster, stronger, and more observant. I do not feel fear. However, I can not love them.– ANITA (The android from the TV series Humans)

One person in ten would have sex with a robot, according to a poll by YouGov. If you are amazed by this number, you would be shocked by the real data.Let’s consider similar surveys. About 15% of the population admit to watching porn on the Web, but the internet providers reveal a more realistic 70%. About 9% of the population admit that they would have sex with a robot. Do the math and you can forecast the real market for the ‘Sexbots’, as they call the sexual robots.In just five years, this may become a very disturbing phenomenon, or a great business. On second thought, it will probably be both.Would you like more examples?An Illinois startup in this “market” raised 622% of their target funds on Indiegogo, the popular crowdfunding platform. I’m not going to describe their product in detail, because I want to save this article from censorship. The name of their campaign – AutoBlow2 – is probably enough to understand what the product is about.

Uncanny Lover: Building a Sex Robot | Robotica | The New York Times

In a 67 page white paper on “Robots and the future of jobs”, released by the prestigious Pew Research Center, the experts are split into two factions, for and against robots in the workforce. While they were not able to decide on the impact of robots on jobs, almost all of them agree on one point: by 2025 “robotic sex partners will be commonplace.”

The Future Is Already Here; It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed

William Gibson used to say, “The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed.” Let’s have a look at what’s already here in this industry.

Japan is definitely the market leader. And we are not talking about a couple of obscure research centers. Well known Japanese mega corporations like Toshiba are investing billions of yen to develop the perfect robotic sexual partner. Not long ago, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, they released an Automata, an android with human resemblance. “Her” name is Chihira Aico.To be fair to Toshiba, Aico isn’t designed to be a sexual toy, but a perfect housekeeper and employee. On the other hand, this may be one of the best lines of defence in the modern history of PR. “This is not about sex; this is just a housemaid and secretary at your complete disposal.” I can already see a very long queue of male consumers waiting for Aico to go mass market.At the moment, Aico smiles to the crowd and can perform minor interactions. But it doesn’t take much thought to guess what other features may be available in future releases.Kokoro, a division of Sanrio which specializes in robotics, has an entire line of robots that looks like human beings, the Actroid-DER Series. This is not a temporary vogue destined to disappear. In 2006, it was already possible to rent a DER for 5 days for 400,000 yen ($3,500 at the time). Each year, the models come to be slightly more humanlike.Although these androids are built to provide many different services, the fact that they are all designed as females may seem suspicious. There is a female android to train dentists (the Simroid Series), and a female android to work as a receptionist (the Asuna Series).

Even China developed a competitor a few years back, of course female – the ‘Dion’ – designed to be the perfect companion for you on karaoke nights.The Web reveals such an appetite for sexual content that it’s easy to imagine a similar growth for sexual robots.

A Second Alternative Future

This isn’t the only possible future though. A few months ago I was brainstorming with a startup about the possible use of their technology, and robots was one of our bullet points.“Customers will not be interested in having sex with robots,” said one of the engineers “it will be cheaper to have sex in virtual reality.”Well, this is … reassuring, right?In the meantime, I’ve registered Botsder.com, ‘Tinder for robots’. If I get a call from a VC, you’ll be the first to know.— Stefano L. Tresca

P.S.— At the time of writing, there is no Tinder for robots on the App Store, and Botsder is an innocent prank. But you would be surprised to see how many requests I receive about this (non-existent) app.These requests, together with the Sexbots and the rise of artificial intelligence, is a powerful clue that something is going to happen. And it’s going to happen sooner than expected. It may not be a Tinder for robots, but it’s going to be equally unusual and very much real.

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This post was originally published in Amazon's bestseller "FUTURE CITIES". In this book, I have collected stories and interviews about smart cities, drones, 3D printing, driverless cars, and other innovations that used to be sci-fi just a few years ago. You can get the book here.

About the Author

Stefano L. Tresca was employee #8 at Wind, a telecom and internet company sold for $12.1 billion.Today Stefano serves as a non-exec director and advisor for crypto funds and blockchain companies.He has founded the Impact in Tech Foundation, and he's passionate about improving financial inclusion through technology, impact investing, and education.Many years ago, he fell in love with the city of London, and that's where he lives now when he's not traveling.Feel free to contact him on Twitter or Linkedin, or check his Website.

For press inquiries regarding the book Future Cities—or to invite Stefano as a speaker—feel free to contact the author on Twitter or use his Contact Page

© Seahorse Press, 2022. Contents available under a Creative Commons License. You must attribute the work to Botsder.com. The amazing pictures of the robots are used under a Creative Commons License from Jason and Wikipedia Commons. The phrase on the smartphone "Only one thing it could be. That I was built for you" is a tribute to David Pomeranz, the singer.