The tech industry has found ways to make our lives better in any number of fields, and now it’s focus has shifted to the bedroom.
Remember that iconic “ride” at Disneyland, that features a full 25-minute oration by animatronic representations of all 44 U.S. presidents? The Hall of Presidents has been mesmerizing generations of Disney goers since the 1970’s and sparking renewed interest in robotics and animatronics. In fact, Disney, in collaboration with other tech giants of the time, created the very first animatronic figure in human form; the iconic Abraham Lincoln. At some point, someone gazed upon this technological masterpiece and thought “Hmm, I wonder what it would be like to have sex with one of those?”
Whether or not that’s exactly how it happened, the rise of sex dolls with AI give us an all too creepy throwback to those stiffly moving and rubbery-plastic reproductions of our past. What started as a marriage between the more recognizable and easily obtainable blow-up sex doll (which you can now get for around $100 on sites like adultproductsindia.com) with the human animatronic technology of today, has become a technological sensation worth over $30 billion.
This animatronics have sparked a futuristic fetish, that doesn’t stop at sex dolls. The sex tech industry is absolutely booming, and clamoring for further development. From reddit feeds for robotic porn, blowjob boxes embedded with machine learning capabilities, to the fantastical future of robot brothels, technology has firmly found its footing in the sex industry. And people are loving it.
The Sex Doll Craze
Sex dolls have been a staple of the lone and lonely for years. The dolls date back to the 17th century, when Dutch and Spanish sailors would make giant human rag dolls to satisfy their copulatory needs during long voyages. Much like everything else sex, sex dolls saw a giant leap forward in the 1970’s in North America. New products using vinyl, latex, and silicone were becoming standard in the industry. Since the introduction of these materials, the focus on improving the realism of sex dolls has become a number one priority for creators.
As newer materials have been produced, the sex industry has seen something of a arm (encircling privates) race. Since 2012, sex doll creators have found novel and lifelike materials in the forms of platinum cure silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, and specialized elastic gels, among many other futuristic sounding polymers. While the materials used by sex doll creators have seen quite a few impressive advancements in the last decade, what has really taken the dolls to the next level of reality is the addition of internal technology.
Initial advancements included different motors, along with voice command tech and internal heating systems. However, nothing has impressed and aroused consumers like the newest addition of AI.
More Than Just Sex Dolls
The addition of AI to a more lifelike doll frame has caused ripples throughout an entire sexual community. RealDoll released their AI infused sexbot earlier this year. Creating a doll that is “capable of holding conversations, remembering important facts, and expressing various emotions.” Since that moment, the internet has responded in kind.
This sex doll wasn’t the first in a veritable landslide of technologically enhanced sex toys. The sex tech industry has brought it’s customers unimaginable amounts of cleverly crafted and consumer minded products, all built to please with the additions of some of the most forward thinking and difficult to obtain technology.
Vibrators can now mimic your partners stimulations from across oceans. Using an app, partners can now please each other electronically, despite the actual distance that is between them. “Teledildonics” is the (almost hilariously on point) name that is applied to any sex tech that uses a data link to send and receive tactile sensations. So you can now rest easy knowing that the flick of your dildo, or intensity of vibrations, is all being lovingly controlled by your partner.
In the male’s department, innovators have created a virtual blowjob box that mimics oral sex precisely. The Autoblow A.I. Has machine learning capabilities that teach the infrared beam sensor and magnetic field sensors to massage your most intimate area across 250 different points. The machine can also be trained to “learn” its users desires and then move accordingly.
If simple sex toys just aren’t enough, US sex doll tech giants are reportedly looking for funding to create the world’s first robot brothel. The brothel will be staffed by AI powered sex bots that patrons can “interact” with before choosing which doll they’d like to bang. On the Indiegogo fundraising site, creators say that “Guests can begin building a relationship with their new companion by downloading [an] app on their phone”. This is said with hopes to quell recent debates regarding the idea of consent and robot sexuality. Which is just one of the concerns voiced by experts across the world.
Concerns of the Public
Concerns revolving sex tech are varied to say the least. Philosophical, societal, and psychological debates have all been sparked in relation to the ever-continuing quest to imbue lifelike realism into sex dolls and toys alike.
Some of the most notable apprehensions regarding AI use in sex dolls, are those of the proposed psycho-social effects of users. Experts warn that lifelike sex dolls may encourage deviant paraphilias and social anxiety disorders. With the dolls becoming more of an enabling component than a therapy mechanism. Many women’s rights activists are concerned over the mere image of the dolls. Fear that the over exaggerated “characteristics”, and the inherent customizations, will lead to further objectification of women in the real world. There is also growing concern over the subservient mannerisms of the dolls themselves.
Creators have also manufactured childlike sex dolls, although manufacturers bill them as “portable” adult dolls, bile was flung into the throats of many observers at the obviously childlike representations. Concerns went wild among lawmakers and psychologists, raging that the dolls would serve to “desensitize offenders” and normalize the behaviors of pedophilias. Which begs the question of how far is too far?
Regardless of whether society is ready for the sex doll revolution, it is already upon us. Robosexuality is on the rise, both online and in our homes. Some of it is nothing more than cheeky fun (like the moderately creepy reddit sexbot feeds), or even a helping hand in exploring our own intimacies (as with the long-distance vibrators). With the advances in sexuality for all genders, coupled with the high demand for the normalization of sex worldwide, what will come of the future is hard to guess. But whether we like it or not, we can guarantee that it will be tricked out with the latest tech available.