Sexbots have arrived… and they’re very flexible

The global sex market is being infiltrated by robots - and no, this is not a drill.

Sexbots, as they are affectionately known, are already available for purchase, with some "android love dolls" able to perform 50 automated sexual positions.

They can be customised down to their body shape and hair colour, and cost between $AU19,698 and $AU65,660, according to a report by the Foundation for Responsible Robotics released earlier this year.

Sexbots embedded with artificial intelligence that are able to talk back to you in a similar way to Siri, are also being developed. But one thing the robots aren’t able to do (at least for now) is form meaningful relationships.

"The best robots could do is fake it," the report said, "Robots cannot feel love."

So human-robot feelings won’t be mutual in the foreseeable future.

What the report does highlight however, is the complex issues that these increasingly lifelike robots raise for policymakers.

One of these is whether sexbots should be encouraged in sexual therapy clinics, for sex offenders or for people with disabilities.

Noel Sharkey, a professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield in Britain, says it is difficult to predict how far or fast the market will grow or what its effect on societies might be.

"Will these robotic dolls be niche? Or will they change societal norms and become widespread?" he asked at a news briefing in July.

"How would (sex with a robot) equate to a truly human intimate relationship?"

The report looks at some of the most contentious issues, asking academics, members of the public and the sex industry for their views on whether, for example, sex robots might be helpful in reducing sexual crimes.

It found "major disagreement" on this question, with some arguing that having sex with a robot would reduce attackers' desires to harm fellow humans, and others arguing that allowing people to live out their darkest fantasies with robots would have a pernicious effect on societal norms.

- With reporting by AAP

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