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20 Dec 2016 at 14:15, Joe Fay – The Register

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/20/love_robots_on_shopping_lists/

Saddos only? Nope, happily married dudes just as keen apparently

Well over a third of men would happily splash out on a humanoid sex robot in the near future, academics have found – despite there being no viable product on the market right now.

Researchers from the University Duisburg-Essen quizzed 263 chaps on their robo-amorous leanings, and co-author Jessica Szczuka presented their findings at the Love and Sex and Robots Conference at Goldsmith’s University yesterday.

They found that a stonking 40.3 per cent of the sample said they would “buy such a robot now or within the next five years.” Just to be clear, for the purposes of the survey, the researchers said sex robots can be understood as android robots (robotic replicated women or men) that are “built to satisfy sexual needs.”

“For this purpose,” the researchers continued, “the robots do not only provide replications of some secondary sexual characteristics (e.g. breasts), but also external genitals (e.g. labia). As this description would also be suitable for hyper realistic sex dolls, sex robots are also capable to move (especially with respect to movements that are important with regard to the fulfilment of sexual needs) and speak.” The latter of which might suppose some form of AI.

As the researchers note, “At present, there is no sex robot available that is suitable for the masses and that provides all the features listed above.” And if and when they do appear, they’re not going to be cheap.

You might immediately summon up a mental image of who is most likely to put such a non-existent product at the top of their shopping list, and we’re guessing there’s a pizza-stained T-shirt and a possible lack of personal grooming involved.

However, this isn’t borne out by the research. The paper says the 40.3 per cent figure “highlights that sex robots could be of interest for more than only a fringe group.”

Even more surprising perhaps, whether respondents were already in a relationship, or had a fulfilling sexual life, had no bearing on their (potential) feelings towards robo-playmates. Similarly, general loneliness had no particular bearing on respondents’ interest in sex bots.

Rather, pre-existing attitudes towards robots and “anthropomorphic tendencies” ie, the “tendency to ascribe human characteristics to non-human objects” appeared to be the strongest indicators of the desire to buy sex robot.

Put plainly, people who are already wary of robots are unlikely to want to have sex with one. Likewise, the fact that people who already had a tendency to anthropomorphise objects – perhaps becoming overly attached with their cars, for example – definitely wanted to move beyond just liking robots. Though the researchers also speculated that “it could be imaginable that clients who pay a lot for sex robots are aware of the fact that robots are non-human, which could prevent their evaluations from falling into the uncanny valley.”

This is all just the beginning. The researchers accept that the study could be improved with a wider sample, and say “it should be a long-term goal to investigate real interactions between humans and sex robots. And let’s be honest, someone needs to actually invent a viable sex robot before things move from wish list to shopping list. ®

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19 Dec 2016 at 13:41, Joe Fay – The Register

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/19/love_robot_ethics/

Ethics expert has built ladybird-sparing vacuum cleaner

The possibility of sex robots over-exerting their human lovers to the point of collapse is just one of the ethical conundrums academics and society need to get their head round, a Swiss academic told a conference on sex robots today.

Oliver Bendel, of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland, told the Love and Sex and Robots Conference at Goldsmith’s University, that the full range of machine ethics questions can – and should – be applied to sex robots.

Machine ethics sees machines – whether self-driving cars, chatbots, military drones, and presumably, your basic pleasure model – as potential moral agents in their own right, he said.

This raised the question of whether sex robots should have moral skills, in addition to their other more tangible skills, and “if so, which ones?” If they did, he continued, should these be simple “duty ethics” or should they also be mindful of the consequences of their decisions. Could robots enter into contracts?

Certain questions were particularly pertinent, he continued.

These included whether sex robots should be able to “entice” users. This is not just a question or applying some hair gel and a happy-go-lucky expression. Just imagine all the wiles of Google, or mobile games makers, applied to enticing you to keep pressing that button…or whatever.

Another key issue, he said, was whether robots should have the capability of “refusal” in “extreme” circumstance. Similarly, he continued, should robots be compelled to reveal they are, indeed, robots.

Other, arguably less elevated questions, included whether the sex robot should be “available” to a human at all times – something unlikely with most human lovers. At the same time, he asked, how should issues of shame on the part of the human partner be considered – and indeed where would the use of sex robots be considered unacceptable.

The proliferation of sex-robots – presumably able to incorporate data and feedback to constantly up their game – could have a physical effect on their human lovers, and beyond, he warned.

Human sexuality has certain “physical limits” he said, particularly in the male of the species. Robots, on the other hand, were potentially tireless. This could have a knock-on effect for a robot’s human partner, and indeed the partner’s partner. “If the machine over-exerts the human, it reduces the possibility of human sex,” Bendel warned.

Beyond that, Bendel said, what about the effect on those who are supplanted by dedicated machines, or those who are unable to afford such gadgets.

Ethicists and developers could go some way to answering these questions, he said, though ultimately the whole of society had to make a call. AI and robotics are both advancing at a rapid clip, the conference was told, and a number of speakers suggested it should not be left to the traditional porn industry to make these decisions for us.

Even the most dedicated researcher will need a break from grappling with them from time to time. Indeed, Bendel revealed that his most recent project was a ladybird-friendly vacuum cleaner. The device will clean your floors, but if it detects ladybirds and other little critters, it will stop and shoo them away to safety. However, he added, the team had included a kill button for arachnophobes. ®

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You could soon have ultra-realistic sex with your favourite celebrity crush using virtual reality headsets, a technology expert said.

New equipment coming on to the market in the gaming industry could be utilised for the most realistic porn ever.

Prof Lynne Hall, from the University of Sunderland’s computing, engineering and technology department, said virtual reality headsets are becoming cheaper and more sophisticated.

She said: “If you want to be Kate Winslet standing in front of Leonardo DiCaprio, that can happen.

“The porn sector will do this if there’s a lot of money in it and there will be a lot of money in it.”

Prof Hall added: “Leisure sex is increasingly socially acceptable and pornography is very widely accessed.

“We live very small lives dominated by smartphones. This fits very well into that lifestyle.”

Prof Hall was speaking at the Love and Sex with Robots second international congress at Goldsmiths, University of London, as she presented a research paper called ‘sex with robots for love-free encounters’.

The paper explores the “technological advances for pornography and their relevance for such fantasy sex robots… through the integration of virtual reality, tele-dildonics, soft and wearable robots”.

It says robotics could “support love-free sexual pleasure… across a range of domains”.

The sex robot industry is thriving, with some academics predicting that humans will be having more sex with robots that with each other by 2050.

But while many people find the idea of sex with a mechanical object abhorrent, academics are keen to find out who is most willing to embrace (literally) this new technology.

Speaking at the Love and Sex with Robots conference at Goldsmiths, University of London, Jessica M. Szczuka from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany took on the preconceptions of lonely men shacking up with cyber-lovers.

“I wanted to see what kind of characteristics influence the use of sex robots,” she told an audience at the conference.

“We react towards computers and machines as we do with human beings. This involves showing empathy and keeping an interpersonal distance with robots.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Szczuka’s research found that “anthropomorphic tendency” (ascribe human attributes to) was a positive predictor of intention to buy a sex robot and “negative attitude toward robots” was a negative predictor of intention to buy a sex robot.

Lovers separated by distance can see and talk to each other using the internet – but what about sharing a smooch?

The Kissenger is a gadget that’s been knocking around university research labs for the last few years and aims to let couple kiss each other through the internet.

It’s a brightly-coloured smartphone holster with an inviting plastic pad attached to the bottom. You lock lips with the pad and it transmits the sensation through to an identical holster and an identical pad that’s nestling your partner’s phone wherever that may be.

“Kissing is the most direct and universal expression of intimacy and affection,” explained Emma Yann Zhang, who worked on the prototype.

“It’s a way for us to bond and maintain intimacy in our relationships,” she told an audience at the Love and Sex with Robots congress as Goldsmiths, University of London.

“Also, it’s stress reducing; when we engage in this kind of intimate physical touch, we have a lower level of blood pressure.”

The Kissenger works with pressure sensors and actuators that record and transmit the your kiss to the receiving device, which recreates it for the person on the other end through an app that also features videocalling.

The creators admit that there’s still a way to go when it comes to accurately creating a long-distance makeout session. For starters, the pad isn’t mouth-shaped (although the actuators are lined like lips) and there’s no simulation for a tongue.

But the creators insist that it’s already helping to get people accustomed to machine-based touching. And, moreover, that it’s not being used in an overtly sexual way.

“Parents can also use Kissenger to give their children a kiss on the cheek when they are away at work,” say its creators.

Zhang explained that the next stage of the Kissenger is to build scent into the prototype. So you can get the authentic smell of the person you want to kiss.

You may think that what goes on between you and your sex robot in the privacy of your own home is nobody’s business but your own.

But experts have warned that – like fitness trackers and smart TVs – many of these futuristic sex toys will record and store personal data about how people use and store them. Unlike the popular and traditional looking PlugLust dildos, these sex toys will be containing sensitive usage data.

Unless questions are asked about how and why this data is being used, things could go badly wrong, according to Dr Kate Devlin, a senior lecturer in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London.

“Right now my big concern is about data,” explained Dr Kate Devlin, during a keynote session at the Second International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots in London this week.

“We tick the box of the terms and conditions without checking them.”

Dr. Devlin cited the case of Standard Innovation, a US-based tech company that makes internet-connected sex toys under the We-Vibe branding, which is currently being sued.

The company is being accused of recording incredibly personal data – including things like vaginal temperature and preferred intensity setting – without the user’s consent.

The woman’s lawyer, Eve-Lynn Rapp, said: “This is one of the more incredible invasions of privacy we’ve ever dealt with.”

“We do collect certain limited data to help us improve our products and for diagnostic purposes,” Standard Innovation said in a statement.

“As a matter of practice, we use this data in an aggregate, non-identifiable form.”

Dr Devlin said that, in some cases, collecting personal data can be useful.

“For example, if it is fed back into the product to make it better,” she says, highlighting a thermometer gadget called Daysy that offers menstrual cycle tracking.

User feedback has also been proven to improve the product’s accuracy.

“But do we want people to know when we have sex and how we have sex?” she asked.

The argument is that if data collection is not monitored it could very easily turn into a slippery slope of personal data collection which is then open to hackers.

Despite raising concerns about both the data collection and the objectification of women that are by-products of sex robots, Dr Devlin argues that they are a positive development.

“There are a lot of heath benefits. You can be attached to something that’s not human and we’re already providing a lot of health and therapeutic technology to help older people in care homes. Why can we not provide sex tech as well?”

“The other thing that concerns me is the sexism. Women are massively underrepresented in the technology world and we see that reflected in the products.”

Back in 2007, artificial intelligence researcher David Levy from the University of Maastricht told LiveScience that people could be marrying robots – and consummating their vows – by 2050.

Although it might not appeal at first, he said, “once you have a story like ‘I had sex with a robot, and it was great!’ appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I’d expect many people to jump on the bandwagon.”

In his PhD thesis, “Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners”, Levy stated that the more human-like robots become in terms of personality, function and appearance, the more likely they are to form romantic partners for real people.

“It may sound a little weird, but it isn’t,” he said.

The Love and Sex with Robots congress is running at Goldsmiths, University of London from December 19-20.

By Sarah Young – Wednesday 21 December 2016 – INDEPENDENT

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/kissenger-kissing-app-mobile-partner-girlfriend-boyfriend-anywhere-world-a7487306.html

Long-distance relationships can be difficult and, while apps like FaceTime, Snapchat and Skype mean lovers can see and talk to each other – what about real physical intimacy? Enter: the Kissenger.

A gadget that enables couples to kiss each other through the internet, the Kissenger –  derived from the words kiss and messenger – has been the subject of university lab tests for the last couple of years.

So how does it work?

Essentially, it’s a brightly-coloured holster that attaches to your smartphone with an inviting plastic pad attached at the bottom.

When you lock lips with it, the pad senses pressure points and transmits the sensation through to an identical holster on your partner’s phone, wherever they may be.

“Kissing is the most direct and universal expression of intimacy and affection,” Emma Yann Zhang, who worked on the prototype, told an audience at the Love and Sex with Robots congress at Goldsmiths, University of London.

“It’s a way for us to bond and maintain intimacy in our relationships.”

The creators of the device say it has also helped users get on-board with machine-based touching and while it is aimed at couples, it can be used outside of romantic relationships. “Parents can also use Kissenger to give their children a kiss on the cheek when they are away at work,” its creators said.

While they admit that a lot more work is needed to create a more lifelike make out experience the next stages of development are already underway.

Subsequently, the team are now looking to build scent into the Kissenger, so the user can get the authentic smell of the person that they want to kiss.

BY SAMINU MACHUNGA – The Cable Lifestyle

https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/men-would-purchase-sex-robots/

While many people are of the opinion that sex robots are for the lonesome, a new survey suggests otherwise.

The survey revealed that almost half of the male population, single or in a relationship, could buy a sex robot within the next five years.

At the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, Jessica Szczuka, co-authored a study which focused on what is likely to influence men as to whether or not to buy a sex robot.

A whopping 40.3 percent of the 263 straight males that were surveyed for Ms. Szczuka’s research said that they could imagine using a sex robot within the next five years.

According to Szczuka, the responses didn’t vary between those that were single and those in relationships.

She also suggested that the number may be higher in the real world as participants may have lied in the survey.

Speaking at the Love and Sex With Robots congress at Goldsmiths University in London, she said, “If people have the guts to say ‘yeah I could imagine that’, that’s a good sign”.

She also believes that as people grow familiar to the robots, the number “will double over time”.

While just under half of men could imagine buying a sex robot within five years, more than two-thirds of males could imagine using them.

Although, the most likely people to use one will be socially anxious people.

“Someone with a fear of rejection could control the robot because the robot would never reject them.”

Machines that are built like women for sexual purposes are becoming more and more popular. In countries like Japan, it has already caused a decrease in traditional sexual encounters between human beings.

In countries like Japan, it has already caused a decrease in traditional sexual encounters between human beings.

By Isadora Teich on December 20, 2016 – The Blemish

Awesome. I hope so. I hope more people dump their seed all over movie theater chairs or in robots. The planet is overpopulated enough.

Spanish researchers are currently developing virtual reality porn theaters where the audience will be able to take part in virtual orgies with the actors. Via touch screen, 3D glasses, surround sound, and vibrating seats, up to twelve people at a time will be able to engage in virtual gangbangs with stars. In the future, this may even involve sex robots to make the shows interactive.

The Daily Mail reports that Christina Portales of the University of Valencia told experts at a recent Love and Sex with Robots conference (yeah, that’s totally real) in London:

All senses have been integrated. People will see, people will smell, people will touch. They will feel the movement. It is not an individual activity. It is a group.

Inventors say this will be more addictive than porn. I’ll bet you ten dollars it makes sex obsolete.

By Tabi Jackson Gee – The Telegraph

20 DECEMBER 2016 • 11:31AM 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/female-robots-why-this-scarlett-johansson-bot-is-more-dangerous/

I was going to start this article about robots with a not-so-clever reference to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. But then I spoke to Blay Whitby, a philosopher concerned with the social impact of emerging technologies and the trivialisation of robots in the media – and I decided otherwise.

Because when it comes to robots, it’s simply no use discussing them through the lens of our favourite film or science fiction book. Cliched as it may be, the future is here; we can and should talk about reality. Within a matter of decades we’ve become entirely reliant on technology and robots are increasingly part of our everyday lives.

The latest chapter comes courtesy of Dr Trudy Barber, a pioneer in the impact of technology on sexual intercourse. Speaking at the International Congress of Love and Sex with Robotics, Dr Barber said people’s growing immersion in technology means it’s only a matter of time before it takes a mainstream role in sex.

Put simply: sex between couples will increasingly be saved for special occasions as  robots step in to satisfy our everyday needs. Dr Barber predicted the use of artificial intelligence (AI) devices in the bedroom will be socially normal within 25 years and that the machines would enable people to appreciate ‘the real thing’.