lipe
05-06-2018, 09:00 PM
There's no evidence having sex with robots is healthy, report says
Some sex robot creators have been working on the machines for decades, but a new report shows the medical community can't endorse them as a healthy companion.
In fact, there's no evidence showing the dolls have any impact on health at all, according to Susan Bewley, an obstetrician at King’s College London and Chantal Cox-George, a doctor at St. George’s University Hospitals, also in the British capital. The two analyzed medical journals and general online searches for any primary data relating to health aspects of sex robots and came up short.
The report, published in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) Sexual and Reproductive Health, examined if sex robots promote safer sex, have therapeutic value, or have potential to treat pedophiles and sex offenders, as some creators have claimed. It found that all of these theories have not been proven.
"We call for more research in this sphere," the report states. "Future health studies might include medical observations, case reports, and measurement of visual and neural responses of users, alongside evidence of the impact of robots, and sexbots in particular, in the education, criminal justice and social science sectors."
The doctors advise the medical community to "reject the clinical use of sexbots" until more tests are done to determine "harm limitation" and "therapy."
The $30-billion sex robot industry is crafting mostly female dolls to simulate the feeling of having a sexual partner. The robots are built to resemble a human as much as possible. While they aren't of Westworld-quality, some can hold conversations and learn about their human. Creators bill the products as a way to make people happy and fill a void.
“There are a lot of people out there, for one reason or another, who have difficulty forming traditional relationships with other people," Harmony sex robot creator Matt McMullen told The Guardian last year. "It’s really all about giving those people some level of companionship — or the illusion of companionship.”
A separate report published by a non-profit last year warned that sex robots might actually reinforce far darker behaviors.
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Will sex robots become the new norm? Report looks at uses of life-like robots
While sex robots may have some positive uses, they may also reinforce far darker behaviors, according to a new report by robotics experts.
The report Our Sexual Future With Robots by Responsible Robotics, a non-profit, delves into the effect sexual robots may have on our society in the near future. According to a section of the report, there has been some controversial assertion that sex robots could be used to prevent sexual assault and pedophilia.
The report notes that sex dolls, which are close-to-anatomically correct, have in many ways paved the road for sex robots with some companies adding artificial intelligence capabilities to their dolls. The sex robots, which range from $5,000 to upwards of $15,000, are made from silicon rubber, and some can simulate sexual activity and speak, according to the report.
"We found that there were a bunch of companies making these and beginning to ship orders and we thought that we should really look at it," co-author Noel Sharkey, a professor of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics at the University of Sheffield, told reporters,Business Insider reported.
The report suggests the future of sex robots is somewhat controversial, with some proposing that sex robots could be used to prevent sex crimes.
The report points to a Japanese company called Trottla, which currently manufactures and markets child sex dolls. The company founder, Shin Takagi, told The Atlanticin 2016 that his company allows people to "express their desires, legally and ethically."
"We should accept that there is no way to chance someone's fetishes," Takagi said.
The authors write that some experts note that child sex dolls or eventually robots used to act out violent rape fantasies would likely reinforce those behaviors rather than focus them solely on the robot.
"When we look at the question of whether or not sex robots could help to prevent sex crimes, there is major disagreement," the authors note. "On one side there are those who believe that expressing disordered or criminal sexual desires with a sex robot would satiate them to the point where they would not have the desire to harm fellow humans. On the other side, many others believe that this would be an indulgence that could encourage and reinforce illicit sexual practices."
The report also highlighted the potential effect sex robots could have on prostitution, but found while they may be used more commonly in the future, they won't replace people.
"Many clients still want the pretense of a relationship," the authors write.
The authors also note that some have suggested sex robots could be helpful in the future for those who are dealing with social anxiety about having sex or have been through some sort of trauma.
"They may help alleviate loneliness and help those who have emotional or social blockages," the authors write.
While there may be some positives, sex robots could also increase social isolation. Sharkey said having a relationship with a robot may never be fully satisfying because of the one-sided nature of the relationship, Business Insider reported.
"Robots don't have any kind of emotion themselves," Sharkey said. "People bond with robots, but it's very one way. You're loving an artifact that can't love you back, and that's what's sad about it."
Some sex robot creators have been working on the machines for decades, but a new report shows the medical community can't endorse them as a healthy companion.
In fact, there's no evidence showing the dolls have any impact on health at all, according to Susan Bewley, an obstetrician at King’s College London and Chantal Cox-George, a doctor at St. George’s University Hospitals, also in the British capital. The two analyzed medical journals and general online searches for any primary data relating to health aspects of sex robots and came up short.
The report, published in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) Sexual and Reproductive Health, examined if sex robots promote safer sex, have therapeutic value, or have potential to treat pedophiles and sex offenders, as some creators have claimed. It found that all of these theories have not been proven.
"We call for more research in this sphere," the report states. "Future health studies might include medical observations, case reports, and measurement of visual and neural responses of users, alongside evidence of the impact of robots, and sexbots in particular, in the education, criminal justice and social science sectors."
The doctors advise the medical community to "reject the clinical use of sexbots" until more tests are done to determine "harm limitation" and "therapy."
The $30-billion sex robot industry is crafting mostly female dolls to simulate the feeling of having a sexual partner. The robots are built to resemble a human as much as possible. While they aren't of Westworld-quality, some can hold conversations and learn about their human. Creators bill the products as a way to make people happy and fill a void.
“There are a lot of people out there, for one reason or another, who have difficulty forming traditional relationships with other people," Harmony sex robot creator Matt McMullen told The Guardian last year. "It’s really all about giving those people some level of companionship — or the illusion of companionship.”
A separate report published by a non-profit last year warned that sex robots might actually reinforce far darker behaviors.
=============================================
Will sex robots become the new norm? Report looks at uses of life-like robots
While sex robots may have some positive uses, they may also reinforce far darker behaviors, according to a new report by robotics experts.
The report Our Sexual Future With Robots by Responsible Robotics, a non-profit, delves into the effect sexual robots may have on our society in the near future. According to a section of the report, there has been some controversial assertion that sex robots could be used to prevent sexual assault and pedophilia.
The report notes that sex dolls, which are close-to-anatomically correct, have in many ways paved the road for sex robots with some companies adding artificial intelligence capabilities to their dolls. The sex robots, which range from $5,000 to upwards of $15,000, are made from silicon rubber, and some can simulate sexual activity and speak, according to the report.
"We found that there were a bunch of companies making these and beginning to ship orders and we thought that we should really look at it," co-author Noel Sharkey, a professor of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics at the University of Sheffield, told reporters,Business Insider reported.
The report suggests the future of sex robots is somewhat controversial, with some proposing that sex robots could be used to prevent sex crimes.
The report points to a Japanese company called Trottla, which currently manufactures and markets child sex dolls. The company founder, Shin Takagi, told The Atlanticin 2016 that his company allows people to "express their desires, legally and ethically."
"We should accept that there is no way to chance someone's fetishes," Takagi said.
The authors write that some experts note that child sex dolls or eventually robots used to act out violent rape fantasies would likely reinforce those behaviors rather than focus them solely on the robot.
"When we look at the question of whether or not sex robots could help to prevent sex crimes, there is major disagreement," the authors note. "On one side there are those who believe that expressing disordered or criminal sexual desires with a sex robot would satiate them to the point where they would not have the desire to harm fellow humans. On the other side, many others believe that this would be an indulgence that could encourage and reinforce illicit sexual practices."
The report also highlighted the potential effect sex robots could have on prostitution, but found while they may be used more commonly in the future, they won't replace people.
"Many clients still want the pretense of a relationship," the authors write.
The authors also note that some have suggested sex robots could be helpful in the future for those who are dealing with social anxiety about having sex or have been through some sort of trauma.
"They may help alleviate loneliness and help those who have emotional or social blockages," the authors write.
While there may be some positives, sex robots could also increase social isolation. Sharkey said having a relationship with a robot may never be fully satisfying because of the one-sided nature of the relationship, Business Insider reported.
"Robots don't have any kind of emotion themselves," Sharkey said. "People bond with robots, but it's very one way. You're loving an artifact that can't love you back, and that's what's sad about it."