In the big questions section and the legal section of this website there are discussions about objectifying women. If sexbots really look like women, will women feel the pressure to perform like one? If sexbots look like women, is it illegal to ‘rape’ one? These discussions are still very premature, I think, because sexbots still, well, suck.. Exhibit One is this video from Roxxy an advanced sexbot in action (watch out, the video is SFW, but it is on Pornhub!). Another warning: it is truly depressing.

The discussions however are important, because there is a chance that in the upcoming years sexbots will become better and better.

So, a solution to this problem could be to design sexbots that are really sexy but do not look like human beings at all. At Goldsmith’s sex tech hack there was an example in the form of a sexbot with no face, no hands, and none of the porny characteristics common to sex robots we see in the mainstream media. It’s a pile of plastic inflatable tubes on top of a sleeping bag, which wrap around you and pulse with air – squeezing and hugging whoever has been brave enough to lie down and try it. And very sexy.

Are sexbots like this the best of both worlds? Enhancing sexual experiences without objectifying women? Or is it utopian to think sex can be enhanced for men without objectifying women? Is this just a sexbot for women? And what if we combine this with VR?

Big questions, indeed.