Above photo by tyreseus
Aiko may be the perfect woman. She knows your favorite drink, washes dishes and never complains, even if your mom doesn’t like her because she’s a robot.
Le Trung, artificial intelligence engineer and creator of Project Aiko, brought the work of his lifetime home to meet his parents this past Christmas. Aiko speaks two languages fluently, can recognize 250 faces a second and her silicone skin is touch sensitive.
“If you grab or squeeze her too hard,” Trung tells the Daily Mail, “she will try to slap you.”
Imagine the real life implications of a gynoid robot such as Aiko who can be used for airport security, provide home care for the elderly or be your next uber-office assistant.
She’s the kind of robot girl you don’t take home to mama.
True Companion, founded by ex-Bell Labs AI engineer, boasts real life dolls intended specifically for sex and like forms of companionship. She can talk and play, but she won’t cook or clean like Aiko.
True Companion’s website tells how Roxxxy was inspired by the loss of a friend in the 2001 World Trade Center destruction.
The initial concept for the current sex robot began with a conversation several years ago. A friend and Douglas Hines were remembering a dear friend who passed away. Douglas thought that it was sad to not be able to ever talk to him again. He said “wouldn’t it be great if I could create a robot with artificial intelligence and have it hold someone’s personality and preferences – this way, we could talk to the robotic version of that person and ask it questions whenever we wanted”? We thought it was a great idea though we both agreed that it would be a very big undertaking.
How they began with the desire to speak to an old friend and ended up with a sex doll is another story I suppose. One not told on the website. In fact, the website seems rather devoid of information or photos in general, so I called their 800 number.
What do you see in the crystal ball?
Douglas Hines happened to answer and we chatted about Roxxy and talked science fiction futures of AI.
Hines sees sex as only one small part of Roxxy’s capabilities. She’s a companion, one who knows you, your desires and can talk in addition to being a simple body with “three inputs.”
Photo by striatic
Thus, Roxxy comes in a variety of flavors, a.k.a. personalities. There’s Frigid Farrah, for those who want a bit of a challenge. Wild Wendy. S&M Susan. Young — a definite eyebrow raiser. And Mature Martha. You customize their personalities to your taste, and can even swap personalities with your friends to use on their own dolls. Partner swapping via software.
All rather tempting options for those who may be too shy, maybe embarrassed to experiment with a human partner or those with sexual dysfunction.
Hines and Trung carry us one small step closer to a future in which we find seamless interaction between humans and robots. My imagination runs wild with questions arriving straight from the pages of sci-fi novels and films.
Suddenly ethics and morals involve themselves. If a robot is so real as to perfectly mimic human interaction, then must we treat it as human? What rules should govern relationships between robotics and robotics? And if software is capable of generating new software is that procreation?
Sounds great, right?
Still, something here feels not quite right. Is it the idea of sex or a romantic interpersonal relationship with what is, in essence, a really smart doll, perhaps allowing people to avoid real human interation? Or perhaps we’re somehow uncomfortable with the idea of humans buying something humanoid to be used only for personal enjoyment?
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What role do you see robots taking in our future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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8 Comments... join the discussion!
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I’m not sure they’re supposed to compare. Or at least, I don’t think these dolls are meant to replace human interaction and relationships. Certainly not in their current incarnation.
I see them very much in the same light as something you’d buy from Babes in Toyland, only much more expensive and much more advanced.
That said, would you find it equally depressing if an elderly person used one of these dolls as a home health aid and became attached?
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It’s been said (by Howard Stern no less) that sex with a doll was better sex than with a real woman. So yes, not only do they compare, but apparently the real thing doesn’t hold up.
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Wow the Roxxxy page is disturbing. I just checked out their website and promptly cleared my web history! It’s sad when people are turning to dolls for companionship and sex… intriguing story.
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I hear you, Heather. I watched many videos of Roxxxy while writing this piece and felt similarly.
Then again, when I think of the adult entertainment industry and the sorts of disturbing and depressing things that go on there, perhaps Roxxxy is a far more pro-social alternative.
I mean, imagine if because of dolls like these, human beings no longer had a role in stripping, prostitution and the like.
Perhaps far fetched, but it wouldn’t be the first time a machine took the place of a human. It all depends on what place is taken.
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It certainly keeps with tradition that technology may find its greatest advancements in the sex industry.
That said, if you want to make that sort of connection with a doll, its functionality is really Not your biggest issue. So I imagine human interaction is not really at any larger risk than it is otherwise.↵ -
When talking about traditional sex industry toys, yes, I think you’re right.
But if we’re talking a doll that talks, moves, asks questions, responds and knows what you want, I think the idea of turning to a doll that can be programmed, never argue, never disagrees (unless you want her to) can be an easy, safe place to turn.
I mean, consider how the internet is used for social interaction these days. There may be humans on the other end, but think of how much time we spend responding to FB posts, commenting on blogs, etc.
I know I’m not the only one that sometimes finds myself talking about people I’ve never met in person as friends. Not that there’s necessarily something wrong with that. It’s just a different sort of interaction.
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I’m concerned that all too soon I’d be told in no uncertain terms to pick up my socks or take out the trash I was supposed to deal with yesterday. I’ve seen these “ideal” situations before. Us guys go into things thinking of sex and end up being the robots on comand.
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