Sex Robots and Rape

Sex Robots and Rape
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Sex Robots and Rape
For several years, robots have been involved in industrial activities like the production of cars and chemicals. More recently, companies have begun developing robots that are meant to be used outside of the factory walls (Appel, Marker & Mara, 2019). Robots are finding a wide application in areas like hospitals, malls, and homes. Human-like robotic technologies have caused mixed reactions from the public. They have been a cause of negative emotions and skeptics among potential users. The most controversial category of these social robots that have captured the attention of the media is sex robots and in particular those that are capable of being “raped.” Although “raping” a sex robot is not criminal, it can create the perception that objectified women.
Since their inception, robotics have been haunted by the dreams of developing artificial women. This could be perhaps due to the domination of males in the engineering profession or even the desire to have sex with artificial women. A sex robot can be described as a mechanical doll with a human-like appearance and is capable of intercourse using equipped arterial genitalia (Richard, 2016). Although latex “sex dolls” have been around for several decades, the recent advancements in mechanics and animatronics have made it possible to develop humanoid robotics (Appel, Marker & Mara, 2019). Such robotics are capable of having a range of behavioral responses that are meant to enable individuals to indulge in sexual fantasies with them. Some of the prototypes of sex robotics are capable of simple verbal communication, they can display various personalities and express enjoyment.
On the one hand, sex robotics have been praised for offering companionship and relieving the sexual urge to a cross-section of the society. For instance, couples in long-distance relationships could use them for companionship purposes to avoid cheating on their partners. The sex robots can find application in the aged care facilities where they can give company to the elderly. Others have argued that sex robotics can be used in the prevention of pedophilia. It would be a good thing to live in a world where children are not preyed by lustful men. A majority of psychologists believe that pedophilia is a fixed sexual orientation (Blagden et al., 2018). Hence, these psychologists do not seek to eliminate the behavior; rather they train them to control their urges. Child sex robotics could be an outlet to those who have an attraction to children and assist in ensuring that kids are safe. Others still argue that sex robotics could be an alternative to sex workers. This comes as researchers estimate that human-robot sex will exceed interpersonal s...