Intimate robots on the march

BBC -- They do what you want, and they don't talk back

The idea that it will be possible to stop the development of sex robots seems fanciful, given the explosion in so-called 'adult' content on the internet, and all the rest of it.


Next week: Japanese company develops My Perfect Girlfriend, a robot that does not do sex and small talk, but irons her man's shirts, hoovers his flat, does the cooking/ washing, and never complains. If you get bored, you can re-programme My Perfect Girlfriend so that she may start arguments and cry at given times (e.g.: once every 12 hours). When it gets too much, unplug the machine and re-set it.

---------------------

A campaign has been launched calling for a ban on the development of robots that can be used for sex. Such a use of the technology is unnecessary and undesirable, said campaign leader Dr Kathleen Richardson. Sex dolls already on the market are becoming more sophisticated and some are now hoping to build artificial intelligence into their products.

 

Those working in the field say that there is a need for such robots.

Dr Richardson, a robot ethicist at De Montfort University in Leicester, wants to raise awareness of the issue and persuade those developing sex robots to rethink how their technology is used. [...]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34118482