A new HuffPo/YouGov poll finds about one in ten Americans would be up for sex with a robot. The poll asked 1,000 adults in February.

Nine percent of Americans said yes to “Would you have sex with a robot?”, 81 percent said no, and 11 percent weren’t sure. Males said yes significantly more than females, 14 percent to four percent. Younger adults were higher, too, with 14 percent of 18 – 29 year olds and 13 percent of 30 – 44 year olds being up for human/robot intimacy versus only six percent of 45 – 64 year olds and two percent of Americans 65 and older.

Less than half of Americans believe having sex with a robot is cheating, with only 42 percent saying yes, 31 percent saying no, and 26 percent unsure. Slightly more females than males said yes, 46 percent compared to 38 percent, and more than half of Americans over 65 believe it is cheating, relative to about a third of American adults under 65.

Image source: Tucia (CC 2.0 license)

The data here is rich for a couple reasons. First, it is impressive that a poll of this type could be done with any statistical significance. For us, it is hard to imagine even posing the question to the average American in an earlier era like, say, the 1940s or even the 1980s. Pop culture has shown our interest in sexualizing robots, going back to the curvy robot in the landmark 1927 film Metropolis, but it seemed to be locked away in the realm of fetish and fantasy, not an actual possibility as it is today.

Second, it pushed the tech cheating question from the virtual front to the physical front. Most conversation about human/tech intimacy have been about virtual sex, avatars, and similar concepts. The poll questions have the underlying assumption that robots are equal to humans – they aren’t asking if we would have virtual sex or computer sex with a robot, just if we would have sex with a robot. As robotics becomes more lifelike, these questions will become a bigger part of public conversation.

A pdf of the complete questionnaire is available at Huffington Post.

The post New Poll Finds 1 in 10 Americans Would Sleep With Robots appeared first on Future of Sex.

Computer-controlled sex technology, or teledildonics, has blossomed over the past decade. A new infographic compares the growth and features of the two most popular men’s teledildonics: The semi-automated VStroker [NSFW] and the fully-automated Real Touch. The comparison reflects not only how much intimacy technology has grown, but which ways it may be developing, too.

Organized by the Sex Games Report and The Virtual Sex Review [NSFW], the infographic compares several points including setup time, the number of supported videos, and monthly official website visitors.

The key difference between the two products is the level of automation. The Real Touch is a full-automated, hands-free device, while the VStroker is operated by hand with automated motions inside it. Both devices respond to triggers embedded in videos or games.

They are both tech-based products, but we can see the beginning of a philosophical debate: Can one pleasure oneself with technological assistance rather than completely by a machine? We don’t know, but as pleasure robots gain popularity, we imagine we’ll find out soon enough.

The post Infographic: The Evolution and State of Teledildonics appeared first on Future of Sex.

We just attended the TED Conference in Long Beach, California, an annual get-together known for its intense, high-level talks on humanity’s future. One of the most mind-blowing presentations was scientist Mary Lou Jepsen showing how computers can now interpret our thoughts visually.

image source: TED Conference

Two recent scientific studies show high-resolution scanners successfully interpreting an image in someone’s thoughts. In one particularly strong example in the video shown below, The University of California, Berkeley was able to link specific brain waves with specific images. In other words, its computer program was able to decipher what image the test subjects were thinking about.

As Jepsen put it, “Imagine if we could leapfrog language and communicate directly with human thought. What would we be capable of?”

This technology has two clear impacts on the future of adult entertainment. First, directors may be able to make films by simply visualizing the scene in their heads. Traditional films will obviously need to be interpreted by human actors, but animated or virtual experiences could be created solely in the auteur mind. As Jepsen noted in her talk, now it’s just a matter of improving the quality of the software.

Second, users may be able to create an avatar or supporting characters literally based on their imagination.  Imagine a virtual reality experience like Sinful Robot, but instead of choosing from a set of predetermined players, it actually develops a unique character based on what the user is thinking about.

Jepsen believes mainstream brain visualization technology will be here in a matter of years. “It’s coming,” she said during the talk. “We’re going to be able to dump our ideas directly to digital media.”

The post How New Brain Tech Will Uncover, Satisfy Your Deepest Fantasies appeared first on Future of Sex.

The SVEDKA vodka robot brought her curves to the alcohol TV and media campaigns in 2005. As we reported, the Swedish company was ahead of its time in its sexualization of robots. Now SVEDKA has two new commercials, showing that the sexy robot campaign is still pushing our buttons.

The first features the fembot dancing to the 1983 Midnight Starr hit “Freak-a-zoid”. The second has the fembot walking around an abstract city and, later, taking off on a lipstick rocket ship.

What we find most fascinating is SVEDKA’s old-school approach to technology. For instance, the second clip has the fembot talking on a first-generation cell phone – the kind that are shaped like a brick and weigh about five pounds. The first clip is even more obvious with its ode to the post-disco decade. (SVEDKA may also be giving a nod to the original “Freak-a-zoid” music video featuring a nerd programming the virtual woman of his dreams.”

image source: Svedka

Why go retro as opposed to a hyper-realistic, uncanny valley approach available today? I think SVEDKA is trying to appeal to our idealized view of the future, not our modern view of now. In the eighties and earlier, we believed the new millennium would bring flying cars, jetpacks and even fully-sexualized robots into the mainstream. Consider the early sixties cartoon The Jetsons and its visions of the future. It seems the farther back we go from our modern era, the more optimism we have as far as what’s possible tomorrow. The new SVEDKA campaign has us go back so we can remember being optimistic about how robots would change our lives for the better – sexually and otherwise.

Perhaps SVEDKA realizes that the sexualized robot is already a reality, so the best way to appeal to us is with the fantasies of yesterday, not the realities of today. We will say this: It certainly is entertaining.

The post Newest SVEDKA Fembot Ads Bring Retro Feel to Future Sex appeared first on Future of Sex.

The small California startup Sinful Robot made a splash when it started developing virtual sexual adventures using the buzzworthy Oculus Rift VR device. Co-founders Jeroen Van den Bosch and Kiran Sidhu wanted to take simulated intimacy beyond Virtual Jenna and other current standards. Sinful Robot has now been working on the technology for months.

As the Oculus Rift headset comes closer to its release, we talked with Sinful Robot’s Van den Bosch about the tiny company, the virtual reality (VR) software, and what users will experience later this year.

When did you start?

It began in November 2012. We’re still a startup with a couple people, but now we’re hiring folks to grow to about six people.

I’d been running around with this idea for about 15 years. I was one of those idiots that bought the first generation VR helmets, back in 1997 or so. Even though it was a horrible piece of crap, I realized it was going to be the next big thing in entertainment. I just didn’t realize we’d have to wait 15 years.

Last summer we realized that real VR was possible: The immersion level of the hardware reached a certain threshold, where your brain makes a switch and you’re in another world. As soon as I realized that, I realized it was time to create an interactive VR adventure game.

Right now it’s hard for me to explain what it is, simply because it hasn’t been done before, but it is a VR experience.

Who would be the ideal user and what, ideally, is the experience you’re going for?

We’re not gearing it towards anyone in particular. I always use the analogy of the [Showtime cable] TV show Californication. People love seeing [the main character] Hank Moody having erotic adventures, thinking “I wish I was Hank Moody”. Now we’re having them become Hank Moody – instead of watching him, you become him.

Before the new technology, it just wasn’t possible. The level of immersion wasn’t high enough to trick your brain, but now it is possible.

Wouldn’t this have happened anyway without Oculus Rift?

It would have happened eventually. If it wasn’t the Oculus Rift folks, it would have been someone else – it’s not rocket science. Thanks to the boom of the mobile industry, tech advanced at a very fast rate, so we saw an increase in visual quality.

Also, the motion sensors needed to improve, as they did thanks to advancements like the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Kinect. It just took someone to put the pieces together in a clever way.

How did you feel when Google Glass was announced last year?

It got me hopeful that it would get VR some much-needed attention. If a big name like Google is behind it, it shows we’re on to something. It is not exactly the same as Oculus Rift, as for Google Glass puts a layer on your reality, but it is less immersive than VR since, with VR, you can do pretty much anything you want.

Why are we so eager to recreate sex virtually when many of us can just hook up with people we know?

It’s an escape from reality. There are lots of people out there struggling to have a vibrant sex life. With VR, it can boost their self esteem and create a form of entertainment.

What’s the schedule now for Sinful Robot?

We are working really hard to get the “first encounter” out later this year. We’re aiming to have it out by the time the commercial version of Oculus Rift ships, but the final date hasn’t been announced yet, so we’re still waiting.

What is an encounter?

It’s like a mini-storyline. One of the things we learned from testing the available prototypes is that the experience is very intense. VR tricks your brain into believing the experience. You can’t do it for hours, so we have to keep it very short and sweet.

We’re aiming for 15 – 20 minutes for the first release. Also with VR, you lose track of time. Those 15 minutes feel like a lot longer than you realize.

Who are you working with to create the virtual characters?

We’re working with female writers to help with dialog and scripting. We want the encounters to be accurate. We are also investing a lot to avoid the uncanny valley, so we’re doing motion capture with our female actors and digitally mapping them into the software.

It sounds similar to what video game developers have been doing for sports games like Madden football.

Exactly. What’s unique is that we’re looking at the development from a AAA video game development perspective. We’re hiring video game people – not much different than Electronic Arts, trying to get as realistic as possible.

We’re also talking with other device manufacturers. If we end up doing what we want to do, it could be mind blowing. We’re looking further than just encounters, but a proper cyber experience.

The post Sinful Robot: How Immersive Virtual Reality Will Transform Adult Entertainment appeared first on Future of Sex.

The first mainstream augmented-reality robot is almost available for pre-order, pushing the future of sex-enabled virtual reality bot closer to reality. Created by the Japanese company Different Dimensions Inc., the U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi system combines a holographic experience with the touch of a robot. It will sell for about $5,000 USD in March.

U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi uses what the creators call a “mixed-reality system”, meaning that it combines various technologies to make a more realistic experience. In this case, the augmented reality device uses both virtual reality glasses (visual) and a corresponding robot (physical).

The virtual reality avatar reacts to your actions, while the actual robot reacts to your movements. As shown in the video, you can walk around the robot and view her in the virtual reality relative to your real-life perspective. The robot also has built-in force feedback so it will react appropriate to stimulation, kind of like the natural resistance we feel when we shake a person’s hand.

The force feedback could to create dynamic, realistic simulations of skin-to-skin contact. The technology has the potential to bring uniquely-human experiences like hugs, kisses and intercourse to the virtual world, whether connecting distant lovers or pushing the envelope between robot and man.

Image source: pinktentacle3

In the public version, the big robot will reportedly be about 60 percent of the size and will only have the torso. In other words, the preorderable one can fit safely on a table in your home.

Based on the video, we’re looking at technology strong enough to create nearly seamless interactions. The lower the lag between our actions and virtual reality response, the more realistic the experience is for us.

Just as important is the reasonable price point. If it will run around the expected $5,000 USD, having a responsive augmented-reality robot will cost about the same as a very high-end Apple home computer.

The post Japanese Robot Offers Holographic Augmented Reality System for Your Home appeared first on Future of Sex.