Surely they are nothing more than a harmless toy and a comfort to lonely men, right? Kathleen Richardson, the director of the Campaign Against Sex Robots , sees sex robots as part of a larger culture of exploitation and objectification that reinforces rape culture and normalizes the sex trade. I began my research into robots around So sex robots are being promoted now as an area in which robots could be beneficial. Are sex robots available for purchase? What are the sex robots they are working on like?
What do they do? What is their function? K: I think the sex industry and the sex toy market is pretty varied. Sex dolls have been around for a number of years. Now you can buy silicon dolls that look very lifelike and realistic. But in terms of adding hardware and software to machines, this is a recent development.
The artificial intelligence is kind of a voice program. Some people have made prototypes like home hobby dolls, and put mechanical parts inside them, so they can move their head from side to side, etc. What there really is is a discussion about whether this is a direction that investors want to go in.
Do they want to put their money into this industry? What I found interesting and disturbing about the robot he created was not only that it was simultaneously intended to be as lifelike as possible and also extremely pornified, but also that it was intended to be as subservient as possible. The purpose of its existence was to boost the ego of its owner and cater solely to his needs. K: No. But the thing is that making robots is actually incredibly difficult. If you want to make a robot that has one specific kind of function, for factory use, for example, robots are very good at doing that.
They will be bought by organizations who want them as novelty objects. But you are right, the sex robot McMullen invented is entirely the outcome of a representation of a woman that is derived from the commercial prostitution trade. K: That is absolutely right. If you stick your penis in it, you might be harmed and get an electric shock. This is not what this is about. Because of this narrative, we have to question where this idea comes from β it comes from this very instrumentalized view of relationships.
