Android Roundup: Gemenoid-DK

Some say the market for companionbots will be women; they traditionally are alienated from the institution of prostitution because of the exploitation of women but the number of women paying for it is increasing. They tend to go on vacation and indulge in tourism in the Caribbean or Southeast Asia. It's referred to politely as a 'Vacation Romance'. Well, the market is a bit different in other ways too. A Madame in Spain who runs a brothel for women was quoted in Love and Sex with Robots discussing the importance of conversation to her female clientele. When I saw the Gemenoid-DK, with his distinguished greying hair and mild manners, I thought, hey, that's a gold mine. It'll be interesting to see if the dynamic plays out that way, but one indicator seems to be the strong market for women's bedroom toys.

Android Roundup: Repliee Q1

She's been around for a while, and just seems to keep getting better. Repliee Q1 is a Japanese humanoid robot that has made great strides in lifelike movement and expression. I was rather impressed with how fast she was moving in this video which is about a year old. While some people are always going to complain about the smoothness of her movements, there's definitely been improvement in her gestures and postures, and there are a few moments where she really hits her stride in this video.

Sex With Robots: When Not If.

I went to a new class today and as part of the discussion we were asked about potential topics for a research paper. When I mentioned I was interested in doing a paper about the emergence of androids in the sex industry it was news to some. It's funny how my media habit has got me seeing it as a done deal when others are completely in the dark. Writing a paper will at least give me an excuse for all of those creepy teledildonic links I've collected. Regarding the issue, I'm an optimist. After reading David Levy's book Love and Sex with Robots I've had time to adjust to the idea and do some research of my own. Stay tuned, I'll post more on the issue as I study it.