Sex robots are being made for more than pleasure—they’re helping couples conceive.

Jiangsu Sanwe Medical Science and Technology Co., Ltd. has developed a machine that extracts human sperm by having sex with prospective fathers. The SW-3701 sperm collector is a tall, white rectangular box with a moving, hands-free massage pipe that replicates a vagina.

The Chinese company is shipping the sperm collector to clinics in America, Russia, Germany, and France. At least one already resides in Japan.

While this sounds like an ideal way for people with certain physical disabilities to give sperm, China is using the machine for male infertility patients who are embarrassed to masturbate in a hospital.

The company’s website claims the sperm collector can provide premature ejaculation desensitization training. It’s also designed to create more sperm in those who have trouble producing it.

Zhengzhou Central Hospital in China was one of the first hospitals to report owning a sperm extractor. First reports in 2011 gave it a $2,800 price tag, though this year Reuters quoted a $13,000 figure.

Users can adjust speed, temperature, frequency, and amplitude on the machine’s imitation vagina. The sperm collector has headphones and a small screen at eye level that plays movies. It’s unclear whether these films are erotic, though the SW-3701’s web page boasts “a full range of visual, auditory stimulation.”

Zhengzhou Central Hospital head of urology, Zhu Guoxin, has confirmed the machine won’t be used for sperm donation, but for couples who are struggling to become pregnant.

He told Chinese news and lifestyle publication ChinaHush that SW-3701’s users must wear a condom. But because most condoms contain chemicals and lubricant that can contaminate the sperm, they can interfere with the strict sperm testing China requires for donors.

In an ironic twist for sex technology, the latest popular sex robot looks nothing like a human. According to Reuters, 10,000 of these machines are sold each year.

Worldwide demand for the SW-3701 comes with growing evidence in Western countries that the young are suffering male infertility issues like erectile dysfunction and loss of interest in real partners. The West may need to use these machines for the same reasons as China. A Swiss study blamed our lifestyles for causing male infertility, while an Italian study cited consumption of online adult content.

The sperm collector seems designed for these issues with its desensitization training, though there are simpler cures. Dr. Tyger Latham, a psychologist who deals with sexual problems, wrote in Psychology Today that 4 to 6 weeks of abstinence from erotic online images and videos will generally cure infertility problems caused by them.

While our need for this machine may be a sign of men’s increasing bedroom issues, it’s also given robotic sex technology an admirable purpose. Sex robots are providing the keys to creating human life.

Do you think robotic sperm collectors will become more popular in the future?

Featured image source: Brannan Mizel