Future of Sex
tagline
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Policing Intimacy: AI Companion Apps Are Removing NSFW Features, and People Are Not Happy

  • The Future of Sex Is Non-binary Genital Surgery That Advances Bodily Agency

  • Is Equity Crowdfunding the Future of Sex Tech Investment?

  • Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ Streaming Relaunches

  • Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • Sex Tech Mixers, Hackathons & Conferences [UPDATED]

Future of Sex is supported by our readers. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Home > Robots > The Machines Are Alright: NYU Bioethicist Defends Therapeutic Use of Sex Robots

Robots
Home›Robots›The Machines Are Alright: NYU Bioethicist Defends Therapeutic Use of Sex Robots

The Machines Are Alright: NYU Bioethicist Defends Therapeutic Use of Sex Robots

By Hugo Gray
January 18, 2016
2654
1

Sexbots could help patients in need, says medical ethics expert. 

Robot Woman

While technophobia has existed since the Industrial Revolution, during 2015 it showed a surprising resurgence.

Earlier this year, the Second International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots was shut down after pressure from Malaysian authorities. In September, two European academics also launched a public campaign seeking to ban sex robots.

But some people are pushing back against this new wave of robotic paranoia, such as Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist from the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University Langone Medical Center.

In a video and accompanying article published late last year on Medscape, Caplan argued that while it may be possible for sex robots to exert a negative influence on society, their impact will likely be negligible. They may even offer potential benefits for users.

Such positive possibilities include sexual surrogacy or use as a social aid for the chronically shy and introverted.

With these in mind, Caplan is advocating a more open-minded approach to robotic personal sex devices. Aimed at doctors and the billion-dollar healthcare industry, he argues that from a medical perspective there is nothing wrong with using sexbots to treat patients.

Caplan even posits that robot sex could promote improved outcomes for prisoners, offering them an outlet where no other is available. He also dismisses arguments about the theoretical morality of commercialized sexbots as unpersuasive, drawing comparisons between the technology and our current automated lifestyles.

“Robots are flying us in the air, driving us down the highway, and showing us pornography on our computer terminals (not mine, but I hear that’s going on). We don’t think, my gosh! We violated our dignity and human rights because we’re using machines to take over tasks that might have been done by other humans,” he said.

And while Caplan acknowledges that substituting real-life romantic relationships for sex robots may lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, he views this as a separate argument to the debate over the implicit morality of this technology.

“I think that over the years, we’ve seen that people adapt to technology and the technology can adapt to them. It may even be helpful for people who are shy, or trying to learn what to do, to have some kind of an automated friend help them.”

“I can see some social good coming from robot sex. At the end of the day, even though it may sound strange, even though it may sound a bit—if you will—dehumanizing, I think this is a technology that has a good application,” Caplan said.

Do you think sex robots could be used for medical treatment?

Image Source: Dick Thomas Johnson

Hugo Gray

Hugo Gray is the Editor-in-Chief of The Green Fund—a media and news provider committed to driving the industry forward by spotlighting the sector from all angles, providing a constant stream of breaking news, in-depth analysis, and valuable insight into every company operating in the cannabis sector.

As a Senior Writer for Future of Sex, he writes about sex robot features, virtual reality devices, and other innovations in the sextech world.

Hugo also worked as a freelance copywriter, freelance journalist, and video editor from 2007 to 2014. He received his Master of Creative Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney, and his Bachelor of Media from Macquarie University. He also studied Screenwriting at the University of Roehampton.
Previous Article

Sensual Technology: How Sex Tech Is Becoming ...

Next Article

Man with ‘Bionic Penis’ to Have Sex ...

Related articles More from author

  • Robots

    Hashtag #SexRobotGripes Makes Sexbots Go Viral on Twiter

    October 25, 2019
    By M. Christian
  • A woman looks into the eyes of a male cyborg.
    Robots

    Robot Sex Will Be Mainstream in 50 Years, Say 49% of US Adults

    October 17, 2017
    By M. Christian
  • Newborn baby feet poking out of a wicker basket.
    Dating & RelationshipsRobots

    Sex Robots Will Soon Be Able to Produce Babies

    September 19, 2022
    By Nadine Al-shuaibi
  • Childlike Sex Doll
    RobotsSex Tech

    A Legal Overview of Adult and Childlike Sex Doll Laws in Different Countries

    April 14, 2020
    By Future of Sex
  • A robot helps a woman put on her shoe.
    Robots

    Sexbot Perspectives: Robots Will Make Sex Easier for People with Mobility Issues

    September 1, 2016
    By Jenna Owsianik
  • Robots

    ‘The Cartoon History of Sex Robots’ Is Funny—and Surprisingly Accurate

    October 28, 2019
    By M. Christian

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Yuri Tolochko dated the gynoid
    Robots

    Kazakhstan-based Bodybuilder Gets Engaged to His Love Doll

  • Screenshot of Universal Basic Income Banner
    Sex Tech

    Affording Pleasure: How Universal Basic Income Will Transform Sex

  • Dating & Relationships

    People Who Use Emojis Go on More Dates and Have More Sex

3DXChat
DreamSexWorld offers a stunning XXX 3D world filled with incredibly interactive erotic experiences.
  • TOP REVIEWS

  • Woman in blue lighting with yellow binary code projected across her face.

    Policing Intimacy: AI Companion Apps Are Removing NSFW Features, and People Are Not Happy

  • Porn for TV logo (computer screen graphic with pink u shapes and a mouse cursor).

    Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ ...

  • The Blyynd logo with two screens. One has a chat screen and one has the sexual desire options listed.

    Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • FirmTech Tech Ring

    A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • What Vibrating Buttplug Support in a Video Game Taught Us About the Future of Webcam ...

  • Is Virtual Reality Dating Going Mainstream?

  • Sex Doll Brothels: Reality vs. Expectation

  • Replika AI Chatbot saved human marriage

    How Replika’s AI Chatbot Saved One Man’s Human Marriage

  • Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

    Replika Romance: Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

  • The future of sex is mind-reading AI that reveals your deepest, most unconscious fantasies

    The Future of Sex Is Mind-Reading AI That Reveals Your Deepest, Most Unconscious Fantasies

  • Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

    Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

  • R/gonewildaudio's gender inclusive audio erotica

    /R/gonewildaudio: An Array of Free, Inclusive and Categorized Audio Erotica

  • Fantasy Inspired Sex Toy by Tentickle Toys

    Out of This World: How Fantasy-Inspired Sex Toys Could Be the Next Big Trend

  • Virtual Sex in the Metaverse

    Virtual Sex Will Soon Become a Reality in the Metaverse

  • OnlyBans Game Play As A Sex Worker

    Play as a Sex Worker in New Onlybans Game

  • Black chess pieces laying across an orange background.

    Teledildonics and Chess: The Unexpected Possibilities That Could Enhance Sex

  • A couple with a woman sitting on a man's lap. They each are holding the Tenuto 2 with one hand.

    Tenuto 2 Erection-Enhancing Vibrator Rises To The Occasion

  • Woman looking at a laptop in a bed. You can see a blurry European city outside of the window.

    Here’s How Often Each European Country Is Searching For Sex Toys Online

  • A Woman Showing Her Smartphone.

    Disclosing Trans-ness on Dating Apps

  • Image of Emma the AI bot.

    Will Young Women of the Future Feel Pressure to Perform Like Robots?

  • Realistic Sex Games

    Review of the Best Sex Games and Most Realistic Sex Simulators of 2021 [UPDATED]

    0
  • Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    Review of the Best Massively Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    0
  • Sex Games for Mac

    The Best Sex Games for Mac

    0
  • foot-fetish-sex-games-girlvania

    Foot Fetish Games That Will Knock Your Socks Off

    0
  • The Best RPG Sex Games of 2021

    0
Discover the best virtual sex parties and 3D sex worlds.
Share and discuss what the world thinks about our sexual future. Join the Future of Sex Community A blonde and light-skinned love doll face sppears next to the text Go now realdollxthe future is real.
  • 27KFollowers

Like Us on Facebook

Virtual Lust is a 3D interactive sex game.

Top Sex Tech Industry News & Insights

  • Sex Tech News Roundup
  • Future of Sex Expert Series
  • Sex Tech Conferences, Adult Expos, Sex Hackathons, and Virtual Event Listings
  • Sex Science Fiction

Follow us

  • Home
  • About
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contribute
  • Story Ideas
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2011 - 2022 Future Exploration Network
This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve user experience and track affiliate sales. To learn more about why we need to use cookies, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

By clicking the agree button or continuing to browse through the website, you agree to the use of cookies. Accept Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT