It's the ultimate geek fantasy: a metal-and-plastic woman of your own, brought alive by technology (the geek's own stock-in-trade), who somehow becomes hopelessly devoted to you. In both science and science fiction, the creation of female robots has tended to revolve around a housekeeper-whore dichotomy: the fembot is either a docile domestic helper, or a sexually uncontrolled, well, sex machine. Historically, she has simultaneously embodied men’s deep desire for idealized domestic companionship and their fears of being destroyed by unbridled female sexuality.
Later, in the seminal 1985 “A Cyborg Manifesto,” the fembot was co-opted by the feminist scientist Donna Haraway, who memorably declared, “I’d rather be a cyborg than a goddess.” Without the constraints of organic life, the female robot is not shackled to the tyranny of the reproductive cycle; she becomes a metaphor for female power, paradoxically more potent because it is barren. It’s no coincidence that “fembot” has recently become a widespread epithet for hard-core feminists.
Either way, from Pygmalion to Bride of Frankenstein, fembots (and fembots run amok) have been part of our imagination for hundreds of years. Inspired by Julie Wosk’s recent lecture and new book (in which many of the gallery's images can be found), Alluring Androids, Robot Women, and Electronic Eves (not to mention the original "Fembot Mystique") I decided to take a look at a few of the most memorable and what they tell us about ourselves.
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


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I'll take a Cherry 2000 thanks.
I have a soft spot in my head for Suigintou from "Rozen Maiden", twisted though she is. Shinku or Suiseiseki would be a lot easier to live with, though.
Personally, I prefer Gigolo Joe from the 2001 film Artificial Intelligence.
woah excellent stuff, i like it a lot
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it would be nice if someday Jessica evolved into Rachael. One can only hope.
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Superb article. Some nice thoughts of fembots...
Nick
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I see a lot of this in sci-fi mags, be nice to see it become reality. But it sure is going to raise up political problems with all religion types.
“Whaddya suppose it does to a woman's ego to know that there are millions of men worldwide doing the deed with a robotic clone of her? Which they paid Twenty K for?” Medvedev mused.
“It makes it rich.” The other tech replied, “Once those royalty payments come through.”
- Apocalypse Doll