Having sex with a robot could be coming to our shores — or beds — sooner than we think.
With improving technology, and a growing appetite for sexual robots, National University of Ireland’s law professor John Danaher said sex robots could be a good substitute in brothels — and have several health benefits for clients as well.
Danaher, who conducted research into human enhancement and artificial intelligence, said: “The cyborgs can cater for desire for sexual variety, freedom from constraint and complication and fear of lack of sexual success.
“Technology may become better at developing emotional bonds with their clients.
“They won’t need to ‘fake it’ the same way as human prostitutes.”
Danaher said the practice could even stamp out sexual slavery and trafficking as the robots would be cheaper than human sex workers.
He said the use of robots would also reduce the risk of spreading STDs, and while the idea is still in its early stages, hot spots such as Amsterdam’s red light district and Thailand are likely to be the first to consider robots in their brothels.
Ian Yeoman, a scientist specializing in futurology, and Michelle Mars, a sexologist at the University of Wellington, co-authored a paper titled “Robots, Men and Sex Tourism” earlier this year.
The pair believe that by 2050, adult venues in Amsterdam will be staffed by androids — not humans — and will be called Yub-Yum.
They claim this futuristic club will feature robots of all ethnicities, body shapes, ages, languages and sexual features. But the most popular, they say, is tall, blond, Russian android “Irina,” who is a particular favorite of Middle Eastern businessmen.
Yeoman said robots would “help the sex industry alleviate all health and human trafficking problems, human sex workers will be put out of business, unable to compete on price and quality of service.”
“The tourists who use the services of Yub-Yum are guaranteed a wonderful and thrilling experience, as all the androids are programmed to perform every service and satisfy every desire,” Yeoman said.
“All androids are made of bacteria-resistant fiber and are flushed for human fluids, therefore guaranteeing no sexually transmitted diseases are transferred between consumers.”
But not everyone believes robot sex dolls should be the way of the future.
Kathleen Richardson, a senior research fellow at De Montfort University in Leicester, believes the sex robots should be banned and not allowed to operate.
“Sex robots seem to be a growing focus in the robotics industry and the models that they draw on — how they will look, what roles they would play — are very disturbing indeed,” she told The Sun.
“We think that the creation of such robots will contribute to detrimental relationships between men and women, adults and children, men and men and women and women.”