Are sex robots getting closer to us? The reality is far more complicated than imagined

Robots used in sexual relationships may seem like they’re not far away, but as Ross Eveleth says, the reality is far more complicated than we think.

In two recent films, Her and Ex Machina, filmmakers have explored a fascinating concept: whether humans could fall in love with artificial intelligence or robots and want to have sex with them. Of course, this is not the first time humans have become obsessed with artificial virtual bodies. You can even trace it back to the ancient Greek myth of Pygmalion, the king of Cyprus who fell in love with the statue of a girl he had carved.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and robotics, some people claim that robots designed for love and sex are getting closer to reality. For example, David Levy predicts in his book Love and Sex with Robots that by 2050, it will be normal for humans to marry robots.

But while it may seem like we’re on the cusp of a new sexual revolution, the truth is more complicated. Designing and building a sex robot is harder than most people imagine, and making them look pleasing and not outlandish is a considerable challenge.

On the other hand, it is incredibly difficult to overcome the obstacles facing the sex industry and win funding. If a company wants to launch an affordable and convincing sex robot, it can only mean that the company has ignored the realities of both technical research and management regulations.

Before we explore the answer to the question, let's first clarify what sex robots are. Technically, a sex robot can be any machine that you can have sex with. Some devices already exist as some form of sex toys, which are connected to smart applications that can stimulate real sensations, such as vibrators that can be programmed and remotely controlled.

"There are a lot of things out there that are anatomically similar to the human body and that can create a fantasy experience that is more direct than porn and that is easier to control than a human partner," said Shelly Rowan, who studies relationships, sex and sex toys at New York University.

Some of these toys have been successful, while others have failed miserably. In 2009, a device called RealTouch was launched that connected men to pornographic videos, simulating in real time the sensations felt by the actors on the screen. The experience was so realistic, according to technology news site Gizmag. But despite its authenticity, RealTouch never took off. Sales of the product were discontinued in 2013 after a patent infringement lawsuit.

However, most of these devices are actually sex dolls, not robots. When people talk about sex robots, they mean robots with human-like appearance and the ability to perform sexual activities. This means that these robots need to have some kind of artificial intelligence that allows them to "think" rather than simply respond to sensations.

The closest thing to a fully humanoid robot is a sex doll from California-based Erbis Creative, which makes and sells a doll called Real Doll that realistically simulates a human character, with a variety of detailed human features (such as freckles on the skin) and "personalities" that you can customize.

Real Dolls have many obsessed fans, many of whom have formed bonds with each other over these unusual dolls. There is even a small group of "doll doctors" who travel to different places to repair broken Real Dolls. These dolls are very expensive, with each one costing between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on the customized features you order. However, dolls are just dolls, they are not attractive sexual companions or sex robots. At least not yet.

A true sex robot should be able to track the user's eye movements, observe where the user is looking, respond to the user's facial expressions, and predict and even initiate the user's favorite movements. It should learn the most pleasurable positions and strengths for the user, ask and answer questions during sex, and also show some kind of emotional activity that a sexual partner should have.

The prospect of sex robots - not dolls nor devices - is more complicated than we think. "Sex robots require a combination of multiple disciplines, from replicating non-uniform skin textures to AI capable of autonomous language understanding," said AV Flox, a journalist who covers sex, law and technology. Building a truly satisfying sex robot requires a lot of engineering, starting with the skin, down to the individual joints, as well as battery life and internal processors.

First, they have to be some kind of robot that can stand up. Current sex dolls and other humanoid robots are very heavy (Real Doll can weigh up to 47 kilograms) and their structure cannot support their own weight. Sex robots must not only be able to stand up, but also move with their own limbs. This is not an easy task. Roboticists are still working hard to figure out how to replicate smooth human movements.

Sex robots also need realistic skin. Anyone who has touched silicone knows that it doesn’t feel like skin, and silicone takes a lot of work to keep clean. A replica must not only have the unevenness of human skin, but also the corresponding touch, elasticity and color, which is very difficult to do. In October 2015, researchers in Singapore announced that they had developed artificial skin that can feel pressure. However, this skin still cannot feel temperature, cannot stretch, and does not have the touch of human skin.

Inside sex robots, scientists will need to develop artificial intelligence that can interact with and learn from human partners. Artificial intelligence has made great strides in recent years, but it still cannot simulate many of the emotional experiences associated with sex and relationships. Computers may be able to beat humans at the chessboard, but sex is more like a dance; each participant needs to quickly predict and respond to their partner's movements. At present, artificial intelligence and autonomous language learning still have a long way to go.

Designers must also overcome the nearly impossible hurdle of creating robots that aren’t creepy, something even the most advanced humanoid robots today can’t do.

Futurist and science fiction writer Madeline Ashby said she doesn't think early sex robots will look exactly like humans. "I think we're more likely to see a cartoon-like look first, and I think that's the way to cross the hurdle, to create a face, body and appearance that's more like a cartoon or anime, or a game character."

These are all very interesting, but difficult technical problems. There are many people working on these problems, but if sex robots are to become a reality, it will take a large team of engineers, roboticists, sex doll designers, computer scientists and more to create a convincing product. "They're not going to be so simple that a genius can put it together," Flox said.

The research on sex robots not only faces scientific and technological challenges, but also involves more problems when it is actually applied, such as funding, legal and cultural opinion.

For entrepreneurs, the arguments for and against these robots are complex. For example, some people worry that sex robots could harm already marginalized sex workers, while others feel that the arrival of sex robots will make sex workers safer. Most of the arguments against sex robots are based on the idea that sex work is inherently bad, a view that has been repeatedly criticized by sex workers and non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International.

Money matters, too. Finding investment is a difficult task for companies in the sex industry. In the United States, there are all sorts of formal and informal rules that make it harder for companies in the adult industry to survive. Banks won't give these companies small business loans, credit card companies will cut transactions, and payment processing services will charge extra fees. Technology platforms like Apple's App Store and Google Play won't approve adult content. Search engines won't show adult content unless you specifically look for it, and even then some content is filtered.

Investors are not optimistic about the prospects of putting money into adult products, not because they are prudish, "but because they know that the profits from these products once they enter the market are quite limited," Flox said.

This isn't just happening in the United States. The second annual international conference on "Love and Sex with Robots" was originally scheduled for November 2015 in Malaysia, but organizers had to cancel it in October after the police chief declared the conference illegal. "Due to factors beyond our control, the second annual international conference on 'Love and Sex with Robots' will be postponed to 2016. The conference will not be held anywhere in Malaysia. We deeply apologize to any individuals and organizations that may have been offended by this," read a message on the conference's website.

Sex robots will eventually appear in society. They will be extremely expensive, and manufacturers will have to fight regulations and social opinion while finding new ways to make money. But it would be unrealistic to think that we are on the verge of a great sex robot revolution.

Shelly Rowan thinks the idea that we'll suddenly have sex robots ignores how technology develops. "I think sometimes we imagine that technological progress will just come out of nowhere and suddenly appear in front of us," she said. "In fact, technological development is more incremental and slower."

"By the time sex robots come along, we will be so used to having sex with our partners through computers that switching to human-like robots won't be a big deal."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.