Sex robots or sexbots are hypothetical anthropomorphic robot sex dolls. As of 2016, although no fully functioning sex robots yet exist, such a technology is believed to be a near-future possibility, and there is controversy as to whether developing it would be morally justifiable.
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Predictions
In June 2006, Henrik Christensen of the European Robotics Research Network told the UK's Sunday Times that "people are going to be having sex with robots within five years."
In 2014, David Levy, the chess champion and author of Love and Sex with Robots said in an interview with Newsweek that "I believe that loving sex robots will be a great boon to society ... There are millions of people out there who, for one reason or another, cannot establish good relationships." He estimates that this will take place by the mid-21st century.
Attempts at realization
There are ongoing attempts to make sex dolls socially interactive. In 2010, a sex doll called Roxxxy that had the capacity to play back pre-recorded speech cues was demonstrated at a trade show. In 2015, Matt McMullen, the creator of the RealDoll stated that he intends to create sex dolls with the capacity to hold conversations.
Philosophical discussion and opposition
In September 2015, Kathleen Richardson of De Montfort University and Erik Billing of the University of Skövde created the Campaign Against Sex Robots, calling for a ban on the creation of anthropomorphic sex robots. They argue that the introduction of such devices would be socially harmful, and demeaning to women and children.
In September 2015, the Japanese company SoftBank, the makers of the Pepper robot, included a ban on robot sex. The robots user agreement states: "The policy owner must not perform any sexual act or other indecent behaviour".
The First International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots was held in Funchal, Madeira in November 2014. In October 2015 a second conference scheduled for November 2015 in Malaysia was declared illegal by the Malaysian Inspector-General of Police. A renewed attempt to hold a second conference is scheduled to occur in December 2016 at Goldsmiths, University of London in the United Kingdom.
In 2016, a discussion of these issues was held at the 12th IFIP TC9 Human Choice & Computers Conference, entitled "Technology and Intimacy: Choice or Coercion?".