At the International Robot Exhibition in Japan, Robots For Your Every Need

The japanese are doing a great job of pushing the boundaries in robot development. They are not just following anymore.

I am really interested in a robot for replacement of female companionship. I think in the next years that can be a reality.

@boka You would honestly rather have a synthetic relationship with a machine that is programmed for companionship than a reciprocal relationship with a human? It seems easier and cheaper to just work on your relationship skills...

It's too hard to get into real womens' pants. I know, I've tried.

-cough-thestepfordwives-cough-

Carlhole thats disturbing same to you Boka

@ boca, you just may end up contracting Robo-gonorrhea, the noisy killer.

(This message has been brought to you by the space-pope)

The essential qualities of a partner can be replicated. Right now these simulated shapes and textures reach a market of less than 1% of males - and females, and the price is a few thousand dollars. It's that simple - what you get for that money looks better than any human (from a distance) and its quiet personality may be a selling point.

In a few decades new features will emerge, such as warm skin, motion, full gestural capability, subtle facial features, interactive conversation. This will increasingly appeal to an ever larger demographic. It is my sincere conviction that by 2040 more than half males would get a replicated partner with little or no shame, and when ordered she'll come walking to his front door on the inception date and politely present herself for use. I don't thing the basic models should cost more than the 2040 equivalent of 100K euro - that is well within the parameters of affordable, considering how much the male will save. Baseline mates are far more expensive in the long run.

And in case anyone was wondering - this is a GOOD development. It increases personal freedom. It liberates a ghetto caste of ugly or boring people from having to live up to impossible expectations, and still have fairly decent sex. To ridicule this is plain silly and condescending beyond words. In a very short time it would be like laughing at someone in a wheelchair.

But what everyone seems to forget, since nearly everyone is brainwashed by the capitalism/free markets/competion cult - what will these 'mechanical solutions' mean for value of humans, jobs, replacement, empowerment, the intense need for humans to feel meaningful? It will be an interesting future to say the least.

Sure this new actroid is slightly less freaky than earlier designs, but I doubt she's much of a conversationalist - not without a human programmer typing her lines, anyhow. Though I'm sure there are plenty of libidinous males out there who wouldn't care anyway ....

Frankly, the TOPIO robot caught my attention most. Humanoid, and it looks awesome! Unfortunately, the only YouTube vids I've found of it just show the big lug posing and making slow, jerky ping-pong moves. He might have a career as the first robot male supermodel, but he sure doesn't act like a table-tennis champ ....

The robot forklift is evil!!!

@boka and
@Carlhole wow thats sad
any way how do have sex with a robot if it feels good i want one lolololololololol

Soon we will evolve to the point of not needing the female gender. I think we are almost there as species.

i wounder if they'll take trade ins like at car dealerships.... my girlfriends an older model but low millage! lol

@Khannea That sounds like a terrible development. What you're talking about is an advanced form of porn. Sure it has it's place to satisfy desires and simulate experiences for those who need the crutch, but it's just that: a simulation. It's real enough to be addicting, but still not real, and therefore ultimately not satisfying because the user will know it's not real (Think Nozick's experience machine, or the Matrix or whatever example you want, humans crave the real). And I will ridicule the shit out of anyone who becomes addicted to a human simulation program just as much as I would someone who becomes addicted to a computer game.

Human mates don't exist as the answer to an equation. Thank god the majority of the population doesn't have such a selfish paradigm.

Like ridiculing someone who needs a smoke to calm down? Like ridiculing someone who puts on make up to become "beautiful"? Like ridiculing someone who takes steroids to be the "best"?

You see sometimes people cant help it or are driven to extremes for perfection.

I'll take a side of Caprica Six, please.

Yes, I will give you the codes to the defense grid in exchange.

@thor0997 I see those as at least totally unconvincing, if not entirely unrelated examples. Just try to make an argument for uncontrollable smoking as a positive. Same for steroids, or any other drug. As soon as it is uncontrollable, then it's a problem.

Addiction is NOT justification for use.

The same goes for your human simulation. Fine, it has it's place in recreation, or at least there's a market for it. But as soon as you start talking about permanently replacing a productive relationship with a partner of the opposite sex, it becomes unhealthy. Maybe I wouldn't ridicule a drug user, but that's not because it's not analogous, it's because it's not funny.

Makeup is an ultimately trivial example. There are no social harms of using makeup, with the exception of perhaps self-image problems with a portion of the population. Regardless, there obviously is a selection pressure on women who wear makeup, so there's nothing to do about it.

"There are no social harms of using makeup". Ummm ok. So the training girls get when they are young to be the best no matter what does not bother you?

This is not a problem about you not liking the concept this is about ridicule. You should not joke about someone's disability or crutch or addiction. That just hurts and doesent help solve the problem.

That's a gross oversimplification of why women wear makeup. And that's also a misquote. I said there were no social harms with the exception of perhaps some self-image issues. I'm not trying to paint it as a good thing. I'm saying makeup is an easy way to gain an evolutionary advantage, and therefore there's not much we can do to stop it. Teaching young girls to be comfortable in their own skin is another issue.

You cannot equate disability, crutch, and addition. Disabilities are not funny. Period. Crutches don't matter. You're ugly, you want to have sex with a robot, fine. I don't care.

Ultimately you're right about the addiction. I'm being insensitive. Part of me wants to say that addiction is the users own damn fault 95-100% of the time, and therefore they should grow a pair. But I respect people who are recovering addicts.

However, talking about my insensitivity is entirely besides the point. We've gotten off-topic. I'm saying that developing a product that allows people to forgo a healthy, reciprocal relationship with a human mate is unhealthy in the same way that a drug dealer selling crack to someone whose life sucks is unhealthy. Lets face it, there is a huge portion of the population that has problems with relationships. This would be successful, and because it would make a lot of money is why it will eventually happen. But the outcome is a negative one, and I predict will be emotionally damaging to the users.

someone give bull dog a smoke LOL

It's perverse for humans and robots to cohabitate. Robots better to stick to their own kind if they know what's good for em.

What ever happened to human dignity. Love. Companionship. Family. God. It sickens me to think some people are actually looking forward to purchasing a mate.

I don't really see this as a real life partner replacement, more like, as someone already mentioned, an evolution in porn. If anyone sees it as sad or pathetic and somehow feels threatened, maybe they should stop playing so hard to get.

It's funny that some things never change. Man invented the printing press and Hugh Hefner and the like ran with it. The internet comes along and a multi-billion dollar smut industry grows out of it. Man invents robots and already this forum is lit up with comments about sex with robots, instead of all the other practical uses they could provide. We men are such predictable dogs.

...but a relationship with a robot instead of a human? That's waaay over the line of weirdness. Seriously, man up and go get a date.

Wow! If the value of human life was not already low enough! I can see a future where human life is valued at next to nothing! I can see that robots could be used in many different ways. I also understand that it can be very difficult to acquire and maintain lasting, mutual and meaningful relationships, but don't give up. Anything worth having is worth working hard for. Unfortunately the first thing you think of is to replace human companionship. This is a very sad time for humanity!

Let me just play devil's advocate here. I know the prevailing sentiment here seems to be "eeew, it's a robot, get a real person." However, how's it hurting anybody of someone with poor social skills, or their own personal reasons for preferring not to have an intimate relationship with another human, decides they'd like the robot alternative? Honestly, I'm pretty happy in my own relationship, but not everybody finds the right person, or even has the inclination to look. And isn't this less exploitive of other human beings than prostitution, which we know has been around since the first primates figured out how to trade food for sex? Social skills and human relationships are important for society, but so is the freedom to decide which relationships you will have.

Let's look at this from another angle. If a fish falls in love with a bird, where will they build a home.

And any children who are the result of these couplings will face horrid persecuation.

We're all going to die. The robots will kill us.

It is so interesting about Japanese robots and they became pioneers in the robot industries.

'Soon we will evolve to the point of not needing the female gender. I think we are almost there as species.' Boka

@Boka

How could we survive without the need for females. Without REAL sex, their would be no birth of new generations. And ultimatley the human race would come to an end. A rather silly hypothesis, don't you think.

I find all this robot sex a silly thing. It's just an advanced form of masturbation. :L

When the artificial womb is perfected we will no longer need females. I would not be surprised if there was a bounty placed on them, especially ex-wives. But I'm not bitter or anything...

The movie "The Singularity is Near" was suppose to be released Dec 2009 - thou its website now says its being released 2010 without giving a month.

The issue with this (thou this eventuality was predicted over 350 years ago and re-predicted multiple times since) is that we are now about to achieve this reality in the next 20 years. Its not just robots that look like humans.

Its the other 1000 things that go with this - as its likely that within 20 years or less - there is going to be more change than has happened in the preceding 20,000 generations on this planet.

Im in a relationship but would still like to have my own robot. She should be 6' tall (I like my robots statuesque), curvy hips and butt, and a very large chest. I want her to look like she fell off a mudflap.

I would like a redundant mute function, say if it starts nagging and I cant find the remote. Please put another mute button in the back of her throat, no more than 7 inches from the lips.

Her hind quarters should look like 2 halves of a volleyball side by side, J-lo's dimmensions would also work. Please include both Red and brown hair and a set of green and brown eyes.

As for her default language, heck I dont care, just make sure you put in that extra mute button.

BTW GeeBob, you are the greatest!

Lets See,

Well, people....I am speechless! First of all...How in the hell did we get from viewing awesome robot technology to replacing our females with sex mates....Ok! I can understand both parties, but I hate to be the one to break it to you the audience. THIS IS A SCIENCE FORUM...We are discussing robot technology and not human moral issues with the damn things.....I personally don't care about who do what, or replace their hands for something that will do it better. That is your perogative!!!!

To BulldogBlues: I agree with you, but the point is...Stop judging people, thats not your job description. Stick to the forum. Its the principal that counts. We have enough people out there already thinking they are appointed judge advocated for moral values. I have nothing against you, but thats Gods role buddy.

To genXer,guythatlikestor...,Mike_R: I like your points of views. Still on topic and just about put it in perspective.

To Hherbson: You are freakin hilarious!

To all that is reading this article. Lets think about how we can out do the Japanese and improve on our own Robot Technology. Thats what this article means to me. Not some perverted view of the future with the damn things.

Great Post. Don't forget the nintendo too.

Is that girl a robot?? Unbelievable! She's look so real, even prettier than some girls :p (no offense)

Mr. Petrillo
__________
www.mmapound.forpound.com

Yes she is. And boy, is she cute. :)