The latest sex robot doll is a head that can speak, smile and sing - all under the control of your smartphone.
The model has a "stunningly beautiful" face, and can listen and answer questions using voice recognition software.
Made
by Doll Sweet Dolls and EX Doll, manufacturers have finished the
prototype of the DS Doll Robotic Head containing a movable mechanical
structure coated in silicone 'skin' and controlled by a smartphone and a
PlayStation controller.
But the robot -like-doll is only able to communicate in Chinese.
They are hoping to launch a crowdfunding campaign to help produce an English and Japanese version.
The head on the Ex Doll is robotic (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)
The DS Doll Robotic Head containing a movable mechanical structure coated in silicone 'skin' (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)She does not have a rotatable neck, but will fit all the
company's other doll bodies, which have flexible limbs allowing them to
"move as a real person".
Paul Lumb, head of Cloud Climax , says the prototype is the "Bugatti Veyron of VR" - and comes with a similarly hefty price tag at around £4,500.
The
company are Europe's only authorised EX Doll retailer and are hoping to
bring the robotic head to the UK at the end of next year.
Currently it can only converse in Chinese (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)
The company want to make English speaking versions (Image: Cloud Climax / SWNS.com)Paul says the futuristic technology is at the "forefront" of sex tech, but insists we are still decades away from "sex robots".
He said: "EX Dolls have been working on a robotics head since 2014, but we're generations away from a Terminator-style cyborg.
"What
they've been doing is developing app control for the robot head, but
currently with the prototype it's only got Chinese dialect, which is
their core market.
The Ex Doll offices in China where the product has originated from (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)
The company also produces full body dolls (Image: Cloud Climax / SWNS.com)"Over the next 12 months, they want to develop Japanese and English speaking models.
"They
will have an element of natural conversation, so they won't sound too
robotic, but they will take time - languages are massive.
"The
voice recognition is no different to a smartphone, but this model also
has facial expressions, unlike standard silicone heads.
Female Ex Doll Sharon is set to hit the UK next year (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)"Over the last two years we've been moving towards real
touch, real feel silicon dolls, enhancing the skeleton to make it
lighter - these adult-sized dolls have a combined head and body weight
of five stone.
"It's an opportunity to take this to the next
level of where doll development is going, and it's been happening
quietly behind the scenes for ten to 15 years.
"This is revolutionary, it's a game-changer - from a gamer's perspective, it'd be like a new console being released.
Ex Doll Kayla shows off her curves during a demonstration (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)"This is the next step of teledildonics reality, it's at the forefront of adult tech and is really the Bugatti Veyron of VR."
Paul says it is unlikely we will see 'actual sex robots' any time soon, as they would be too heavy and expensive.
But he says this prototype is the latest step to the 'next level of very natural realism'.
Ex Doll Lee shows the robot as a male (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)
Makers are hoping to launch a crowdfunding project to help produce an English and Japanese version (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)He added: "Two studio level make up artists have taken this head to the next level, it looks very natural in the face.
"The
realism of a robotic head and body together will be the next level of
enhancement - the guys who work for EX Dolls have masters in robotics
and are continually evolving this technology.
"From a software point of view, you don't want it breaking, and they need to get the internal components correct.
"They're also working on facial posturing, narration and interaction.
"We're
still six or seven years away from having the ability to incorporate
sensor pads and electronic wiring - it'll probably be a decade before
prototypes are even made.
"You just don't want a heavy doll filled with technology, it can't really be an actual sex robot - it'd be too expensive.
EX Doll Yolanda - who can speak, smile and even sing - but only in Chinese (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)
A robot head for the Ex Doll range under production (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)"The skeleton can be posed and moved, and the head can be
interacted with, but there's not full body movement and it's just an
enhancement to what we're currently selling.
"This is the
ultimate, really - I'd be very surprised if we see a fully autonomous
body soon, it's too future tech and that'll be 15 to 20 years down the
line."
Paul says the dolls are part of promoting a healthy sex life - something he compares to healthy eating or going to the gym.
Male Ex Doll Herman (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)
Manufacturers have finished
the prototype of the DS Doll Robotic Head, which contains a moveable
mechanical structure coated in silicone 'skin' (Image: Ex Doll / SWNS.com)He said there are many uses for the dolls, not just sexual
gratification, and says some men have large collections of the dolls to
dress up and photographic.
Paul added: "This head is great if
you're into your photography - standard silicone heads only have one
mannerism, but this gives you the ability to change expressions.
"The
doll community don't always have sex with dolls, some people collect
them like art, and they have different heads for different body types."
"People are in love with their smart phones, which they're physically connected to, and this is the same thing."
The DS Doll Robotic Head is set to hit the shelves at the end of 2018
Spanish scientist Sergi Santos designed silicone sex dolls with wigs and artificial brains that will not only earn him money but may also be used to staff brothels and help combat sex trafficking.
But the arrival of sex robots has divided opinion – this film by the Thomson Reuters Foundation explores the complex issues that have been raised by the increasingly life-like robots.
Scientist Sergi Santos designed sex dolls with artificial intelligence
that will not only earn him money but may also be used to staff brothels
and combat sex trafficking
Spanish scientist Sergi Santos has dedicated his career to designing silicone sex dolls .
The robots have wigs and artificial brains that will not only earn him
money but may also be used to staff brothels and help combat sex trafficking .
But the arrival of sex robots has divided opinion. Here, the Thomson Reuters Foundation explores the complex issues that have been raised by the increasingly life-like robots.
In the hilly outskirts of sunny Barcelona, Spanish scientist
Sergi Santos looks proudly over what appears to be five busty women in
tiny shorts and tank tops perched around his living room.
Sex robots are becoming increasingly lifelike (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation)But look a little closer and it is clear they are not women
but silicone sex dolls with wigs and artificial brains that Santos
believes will not only earn him money but may also be used to staff
brothels and help combat sex trafficking.
"Hi Samantha," Santos said, switching on one of his dolls.
"I'm
here, what's up?" the robot replied, its bright blue eyes staring into
nothing as a cable plugged into its neck charges the computer processor
in its "brain".
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way
into the global sex market, bringing with it a revolution in robotic
"sextech" designed to offer sexual gratification with a near-human
touch.
Spanish scientist Sergi Santos (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation)But the arrival of sex robots has divided opinion.
Inventors like Santos argue they can potentially replace prostitutes,
reduce sex trafficking and help lonely people, while critics say they
objectify women and normalise sexism and rape culture.
"Get
sexy," instructed Santos, 39, who founded Synthea Amatus in 2015 and
aims to start selling his sex robots in coming weeks, starting from
about $2,000 each.
"I'm ready, what about you? I hope you are. I
enjoy being with you, always," the big-breasted robot replied, while
Santos' wife Maritsa Kissamitaki works at a desk in their home office.
Santos, who founded his company Synthea Amatus, aims to introduce sex robots with artificial intelligence to the consumer market (Image: THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/Lin T)Roboticists like Santos and those from US-based Abyss
Creations are racing to become the first in the world to bring sex
robots - which talk and respond to touch through AI technology - to the
consumer market.
Sex robots at bigger companies like Abyss Creations will start from about $10,000 depending on added extras.
Sex robots at bigger companies like Abyss Creations will start from about $10,000 depending on added extras (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation)Experts say the increasingly life-like robots raise complex
issues that should be considered by policymakers and the public -
including whether use of such devices should be encouraged to curb
prostitution and sex trafficking, for sex offenders, or for people with
disabilities.
Robot brothels
London-based AI researcher
David Levy predicted in his 2007 book "Love and Sex with Robots" that
humans would have sex, fall in love and even marry robots by 2050.
"I
don't see anything wrong in using a sex robot to provide sexual
satisfaction to people who can't achieve it in relationships with other
humans. It's much better for lonely and miserable people than no sex at
all," he said.
"Sex robots are just providing an alternative."
Roboticist Santos and his wife Maritza Kissamitaki with their dolls (Image: THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/Lin T)As the technology advances, brothels in global cities will
be staffed by robot prostitutes, says Levy, and like most consumer
electronics, such as laptops and mobile phones, the cost of sex robots
will drop - to the point where it will be cheaper than paying for a
human prostitute.
He believes as the stigma of having sex with robots wears off, robotics could disrupt the sex trafficking industry.
"The
advent of sex robots will probably reduce the popularity of having sex
with a sex worker. And if it's going to have that effect, it will also
reduce sex trafficking," Levy said in an interview with the Thomson
Reuters Foundation.
Santos believes, as the stigma of having sex with robots wears off, robotics could disrupt the sex trafficking industry (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation)"I don't see that anybody can possibly be harmed by people
having sex with robots, so I think that the idea of a robot brothel
should not only be legal it should probably be encouraged in order to
reduce sex trafficking."
Globally, nearly 46 million live as
slaves, forced to work, sold for sex, trapped in debt bondage or born
into servitude, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index by
Australia-based rights group Walk Free Foundation.
Santos said owning a sex robot could lead to fewer people visiting prostitutes which would combat sex trafficking (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation)Santos said owning a sex robot could lead to fewer people visiting prostitutes which would combat sex trafficking.
"Should
you be trafficking humans? I think it's obvious - no. So what we should
do is stop that, and make people spend the money on the doll," he said.
Power and control
However
ethicist and founder of the Campaign Against Sex Robots Kathleen
Richardson disagrees that sex robots will curb sex trafficking but says
they will be another "option on the menu" alongside human prostitutes.
Campaigner Kathleen
Richardson disagrees that sex robots will curb sex trafficking but says
they will be another "option on the menu" alongside human prostitutes (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation)She said comparing prostitutes to robots was dehumanising
and the sexual objectification of women through sex dolls was also
problematic.
"I don't think sex robots will reduce sex
trafficking. It will just become another option on the menu for an
already distorted and dehumanised commercial market," said Richardson,
an academic at De Montfort University who has been studying robotics for
more than a decade.
"There's something more insidious going on
in sex trafficking about how you control and dominate another human
being - and the pleasure you derive from rape."
Richardson said sex dolls and robots could even be dangerous, used as proxies to act out fantasies like rape or paedophilia.
"Giving
someone who wants to rape children and fantasises about that a doll
with orifices that he can penetrate is ... dangerous. It's absolutely,
extraordinarily irresponsible to promote that idea in wider society,"
she said.
Richardson said sex dolls and robots could even be dangerous, used as proxies to act out fantasies like rape or paedophilia (Image: Thomson Reuters Foundation) The Salvation Army in Britain, which supports survivors of sex trafficking, said it opposed the use of sex robots because it rewards people for exerting control over another .
"Trafficked
people are being seen as a commodity and we don't think that sex with a
robot is going to reduce that," said Kathy Taylor from the charity's
Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery unit.
"The
reason some people purchase sex is because it can be a power dynamic in
itself. And if you can buy a robot, does that not normalise this
distorted power dynamic?"
But Santos, who aims to develop male
robots as well, said sex robots had the potential to benefit society -
from helping closeted lesbian, gay and bisexual people, to preventing
sexually transmitted diseases, and progressing AI technology.
"Technology
is always like that: people are against it, people are for it. But
eventually, if you develop technology in the right way, you'll always
have many benefits for people," he said.
Entering the 9,000-square-foot warehouse, I’m greeted by a collection
of silicone bodies suspended from the ceiling by chains. It could
easily be the setting for a horror movie — except that the dolls’
creators, Matt Krivicke and his wife, Bronwen Keller, are artists who
treat them like anatomically perfect canvasses to be painted and then
enjoyed (passionately) by their clients. Airbrushing nipples and
hair-punching eyebrows is just another day at the office for the
husband-and-wife team.
“People said we should make her a MILF,
but honestly, I couldn’t think of anything more boring,” says Krivicke,
46, as he hands me the head of a silicone mannequin made to resemble a
middle-aged woman. I may be standing in an East L.A. warehouse
surrounded by disembodied breasts, but I’m mesmerized by the
hand-painted laugh lines framing her mouth, and her glass eyes, which
are indistinguishable from the real thing. “She looks back at you,
doesn’t she?” he asks, knowing the answer.
Matt Krivicke and Bronwen Keller, artists and founders of Sinthetics
Source Savannah Fortis
“We
started writing a story around her, and now all of the mannequins are a
part of it. They’re more than toys to us,” Krivicke says, with an arm
slung around the shoulder of a male mannequin. “The minute it stops
being interesting and challenging, I’m out of the business,” he insists,
leaning in to examine the stubble on the mannequin’s chin.
Sinthetics,
which Krivicke and Keller started on Valentine’s Day 2011, is the
world’s top-of-the-line artisanal sex doll manufacturer because the
founders’ goal is to create not only a sex doll but an object of
affection. “Anyone can go on a website and buy a $200 piece of latex
that will ‘satisfy’ them,” says longtime friend and virtual reality
experience developer Greg Edwards. “Sinthetics makes art that can affect
their customers emotionally.”
Much like a sex surrogate, ‘love dolls’ give the customer a feeling of privacy, safety and security.
Hudsy Hawn, educator at Stockroom University
The process starts with a conversation between Keller and a potential client. The 42-year-old
neon redhead moved to the States from her native South Africa to pursue
art school. Since then, she’s worked as an interior designer and a
textbook editor — and now as a curator of love dolls. She met Krivicke
in 2005 at a Burning Man party. Back then, he was a commercial sculptor
specializing in toys and Halloween masks. They kissed at midnight and
have been a couple ever since.
“The most interesting thing to me
is the psychology,” she says. “[We’re] trying to find something [the
client] can have an actual connection with.” From that conversation, she
develops a profile of the perfect companion for their client. Then,
Krivicke, together with two other artists, will spend four to eight
months molding, designing and hand-painting the mannequin to the
customer’s exact specifications — from eye color and facial expression to the size of, well, everything. The dolls can be male, female or transgender, and they can be modified to look like vampires, angels or aliens.
Enlarge
There
was a time not long ago when sex-toy manufacturers operated under the
radar — their products considered too taboo to be mainstream. But in
2016, the industry passed the $15 billion point, according to
adult-entertainment industry news source Xbiz, with Forbes
projecting it’ll hit $50 billion by 2020. Sinthetics has been in the
business of making clients’ fantasies come true for years, but in the
face of a booming market, their $6,400 starting price tag often sends
customers shopping elsewhere. More players means lower price points, and
small manufacturers like Sinthetics are finding it hard to stay
competitive against overseas operations selling dolls for hundreds,
rather than thousands, of dollars. “The only way we can compete is by
making a better product,” Keller says.
Inside the Sinthetics factory
Source Savannah Fortis
Sinthetics may peddle fantasy
fulfillment, but logistically, making the most lifelike sex doll is
anything but. Krivicke and Keller live in an apartment above the
warehouse, and they are chronically understaffed due to the difficulty
of finding qualified painters — which means working around the clock to
stay on top of the 16 dolls in production at any given time. Lately,
however, they’ve found market share in an unexpected place.
“The
trans community is keeping us alive right now,” Krivicke says, gesturing
to a wall of penises behind me. While the business is predicated on
full dolls, the various body parts are made to be interchangeable or
used separately. When Sinthetics entered the market, a client in the
trans community saw a penis Krivicke had created and asked that one be
specially crafted to work with their body. Not only did the piece have
the feel of the real thing, but Sinthetics customized it to the client’s
specifications, even matching the proper skin tone.
A Sinthetics doll in the making
Source Savannah Fortis
“They
said they felt whole for the first time while wearing our piece,”
Krivicke says. He and Keller agree that their relationship with their
clients is what separates them from bigger manufacturers like RealDoll
and Mechadoll. It’s also what keeps them in the business.
Keller
mentions a disabled customer who purchased a doll for company after it
became impossible to leave the house. This is more common than not,
according to Hudsy Hawn, who runs adult education at Stockroom
University. “Much like a sex surrogate, ‘love dolls’ give the customer a
feeling of privacy, safety and security,” she says. And as technology has made the world more solitary for many, love dolls can offer more than sex.
Krivicke
and Keller say they plan to continue creating the highest-quality
product for their clients while challenging themselves artistically,
betting that, as new competitors enter the field, there will always be
customers who love their work. “You have to find beauty in
imperfection,” Krivicke says as he takes the mannequin head back from
me.
Sex doll designed to give Japanese men company : The silicone dolls have boomed in popularity recently and Japanese men are snapping them up in their droves.
Daily Star Online earlier this year lifted the lid on these incredible sex doll factories.
Masayuki Ozaki, 45, introduced one into his marriage and he now believes it is the love of his life.
The dummy, called Mayu, shares his bed – despite being under the same roof as his wife and teenage daughter in Tokyo.
GETTY/AFP
LOVERS: Japanese men are enjoying the company of sex dolls The physiotherapist said: “After my wife gave birth we stopped having sex and I felt a deep sense of loneliness.
"But the moment I saw Mayu in the showroom, it was love at first sight.
"My wife was furious when I first brought Mayu home. These days she puts up with it, reluctantly."
The most REALISTIC sex dolls you will ever see
Can you tell the difference between these dolls and real girls?
“It feels like you're touching human skin”
Hideo Tsuchiya He added: "Whatever problems I have, Mayu is always there waiting for me. I love her to bits and want to be with her forever.
"I can't imagine going back to a human being. I want to be buried with her and take her to heaven."
Around 2,000 of the life-like dolls, which cost from £4,500 and come with adjustable fingers, removable head and genitals, are sold each year in Japan. GETTY/AFP
CUDDLE: Senji Nakajima sleeps peacefully next to his doll Hideo Tsuchiya, managing director of doll maker Orient Industry, said: “Technology has come a long way since those nasty inflatable dolls in the 1970s.
"They look incredibly real now and it feels like you're touching human skin.
“More men are buying them because they feel they can actually communicate with the dolls.”
'Celebrity' cyborgs: Scarily lifelike 'Scarlett Johansson' robot in pics
A robot-obsessed graphic designer has built a scarily lifelike cyborg who is the spitting image of actress Scarlett Johansson.
REUTERS
The scarily lifelike robot is the spitting image of Scarlett Johansson.
Popular with disabled customers and widowers, as well as mannequin fetishists, some men use dolls to avoid heartache.
Tokyo-born Senji Nakajima, 62, regularly bathes his rubber girlfriend.
He also has framed photos of her on his wall. GETTY/AFP
LOVING: Masayuki Ozaki enjoys a bath with his silicone doll The married dad-of-two said: “My heart flutters when I come home to Saori.
"She never betrays me, she makes my worries melt away."
He has separated from his wife after she banned it from the home and he can’t see it being rekindled.
Real Sex Dolls in pictures
A sex doll (also love doll or blow up doll) is a type of sex toy in the size and shape of a sexual partner for aid in masturbation. We take a look at the most life like dolls available in the world.
REUTERS
A visitor of the erotic fair "Venus" touches an erotic rubber doll in Berlin
"I wouldn't be able to take a bath with Saori, or snuggle up with her and watch TV," he said, slipping the doll into some racy purple lingerie.
"I don't want to destroy what I have with her.
"I'd never cheat on her, even with a prostitute, because to me she's human."
Debra Sohis a Toronto-based sex writer with a PhD in sexual neuroscience from York University.
Depictions of sex with robots are everywhere, from TV shows such as Westworld to films such as Ex Machina.
With the corresponding rise in their popularity and availability in the
real world, the Foundation for Responsible Robotics released a report
last week summarizing the ethical considerations of this burgeoning
trend and the changes we may expect to see within our society in the
next five to 10 years.
Along with feelings of intense
fascination, many of us are understandably terrified of what this new
technology may bring and how it will affect our sex lives and romantic
relationships.
Similar to what we’ve
seen in science fiction, sex robots currently for sale are predominantly
female. This has evoked concerns that their acceptance into mainstream
culture will further promote the commodification of women’s bodies and
encourage negative attitudes, violence and aggression toward women.
It’s
not accurate, however, to paint the effects of sex robots with a broad
brush. What has been missing from this discussion is an acknowledgement
of the underlying factors
that influence these kinds of behaviours, such as anti-sociality and
negative beliefs about women. Access to a sexualized object won’t have
the capacity to affect a pro-social, empathic person in this way.
In a similar vein, the continuing trial
of a Newfoundland man who ordered a child sex doll online has brought
to the fore questions about whether such dolls should be permitted, with
fears that doing so will increase rates of sexual offending against
children.
The most current research
has shown that sexual interest in children is a biological phenomenon
as opposed to one that is learned. As such, it is immutable. For most
people, the idea of child sex robots conjures up strong reactions of
disgust and repulsion, but we can’t discount their potential to mitigate
harm. Since the dolls themselves are inanimate objects, there are no
real-life victims being abused. Offering access to these dolls by way of
a mental-health professional may help prevent child sexual abuse,
particularly for pedophiles who are committed to never acting upon their
desires.
The same could be said for
sexual interests that involve non-consent or inducing suffering in an
adult partner. A 2015 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that
22 per cent of men and about 11 per cent of women in the general
population have sexual fantasies of forcing someone to have sex against
their will. Sex robots would serve as an outlet for these desires
without resulting in harm against another human being.
We
also can’t neglect the potential these robots have for improving
quality of life for the average person. Non-robotic silicone dolls are
already a surprisingly common choice
for some, as they can help alleviate loneliness by acting as a
non-judgmental companion. It’s not uncommon for individuals to report falling in love with their dolls.
The
rise of their robotic counterparts will allow this intimacy to be taken
to the next level; for example, Samantha, a robotic doll released by
Spanish company Synthea Amatus, requires romantic interest in her mate before agreeing to coitus.
Perhaps
the most pressing question: Will sex robots eventually replace our
desire to have sex with a real-life partner? For those of us who are
emotionally healthy, the answer is no. Even when the day comes that sex
robots are so technologically advanced that they are indistinguishable
from our fellow human beings, we, as humans, will always know whether
our partner is of flesh or a machine – whether they are capable of or
lacking a genuine capacity for intimacy and connection.
There
is a wealth of information that will need to be mined as this new era
emerges. It will require fact-based discussion to inform decision-making
and policy – and pushing aside our fears of the unknown to determine
the answers.
Remember in the film Lars and the Real Girlwhen
Ryan Gosling introduces his new girlfriend Bianca to his brother and
sister-in-law? Bianca is a brunette with perfect features... well, in
the sense that she looks like she could be just about any woman.
But her long, thin plastic body gives it away. Bianca is a doll that
came in a box. In the movie, Ryan Gosling feels lost, and he's going
through something that none of his friends and family quite understand.
Obviously. I mean, you'd have to be kind of crazy to have a relationship
with a life-size doll, right?
Well, maybe not as crazy as you think. At least that's what this Vicevideo would have us believe. According to porn star Jessica Ryan:
"It's so much easier than a Tinder date! Men are
either too detached, or not detached enough. It's the perfect
compromise. I want a penis but not the idiot that goes with it."
Besides using the doll for her own pleasure, Jessica has also done
some porn shoots with him to make a few bucks. He's cheaper than paying
an actor, and she is in total control. So basically, it's a win-win for
everyone.
The doll's arms, head and feet were built in a factory in Los Angeles. The latex creations are made by American brand Sinthetics, who has been producing body parts for sex dolls for the last five years.
The company's success is proof that there's a high demand for this
sort of thing, and not just from men. Sinthetics founders Matt Krivicke
and Bronwen Keller are the first to offer custom-made latex dolls for
women.
Innovating on how to satisfy every woman's sexual desires, they
customize the dolls with precision so each one is unique. One of their
models, named Gabriel, is detailed with veins, hairs and little
imperfections that make him look just about as real as your next door
neighbor.
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