Le Trung, inventor of that fembot named Aiko says he didn't create it for sex. But:
"In theory, yes it's capable of that and whether people want to use it like that, it's up to them," he says. In a video, Le shows what happens when he squeezes the robot's boobs. Aiko says, "I do not like it when you touch my breasts," and swats the inventor away with her right arm.
No matter what you think of Le Trung's fembot, the fact remains that we're obsessed with the idea of robots. From Rosie on The Jetsons to C3P0 in Star Wars, we're always trying to replicate the human experience with a machine. Or, as the BBC's Peter Leonard notes, we want "A metal servant to do the jobs we hate." Like make a hot cup of tea, get a beer out of the fridge, or have sex with us when no one else will.
Still, robots live among us: And some of them make great gifts! Slate's Daniel Engber has a rundown of animatronic pets, from Furby ("annoying") to the Alive White Tiger Cub by WowWee ("recommended for anyone, especially the simple-minded or bedridden") to FurReal Friends Biscuit My Lovin' Pup by Hasbro ("His incessant and pathetic squeals are guaranteed to make you feel uncomfortable before too long.")
But beyond the Roomba, robots truly worth having don't exist yet. And the BBC's Peter Leonard writes: "Robots are really slaves without the inconvenient ethical issues." When you put it that way, don't sexbots sorta make sense? Creepy, maybe, but ultimately logical: Le Trung may have created sex therapy for the socially awkward. And seriously: Who among us would turn down a better, more intelligent vibrator?
She's NOT A Sex Machine, Honest [The Sun]
What Became Of The Personal Robot? [BBC News]
Rrrrrrrobots! [Slate]
Earlier: Fembot: Going Through The Motions
If You Could, Would You Cobble Together Your Dream Man?