Slashdot Mirror
Man Builds 'Scarlett Johansson' Robot From Scratch (mirror.co.uk)
An anonymous reader writes: 42-year-old product and graphic designer Ricky Ma has spent more than $50,000 building a replica Scarlett Johansson robot from scratch. The robot, named Mark 1, responds to a set of programmed verbal commands spoken into a microphone and has moving facial expressions. Ricky said, "When I was a child, I liked robots. Why? Because I liked watching animation. All children loved it. There were Transformers, cartoons about robots fighting each other and games about robots. After I grew up, I wanted to make one. But during this process, a lot of people would say things like, 'Are you stupid? This takes a lot of money. Do you even know how to do it? It's really hard.'" Ricky has dressed Mark 1 in a crop top and grey skirt. A 3D-printed skeleton lies beneath Mark 1's silicone skin, covering its mechanical and electronic interior.
I'd bet quite a few Slashdotters wouldn't mind having this robot
What we're all asking...
...of sexbots when they become uh significantly functional?
Will there be a Darwininan selection process where only people who really want children will have them, so eventually everybody wants to have children and is a competent family man/woman?
Will women be relieved that all the jerks have gone off with their sexbots and aren't bothering them anymore?
How many of men and boys that start out wanting a sexbot will grow out of it and learn to appreciate the real thing and how many will be permanently spoiled and never be able to adjust to the give and take of a relationship with another real human?
How many older men, who have had relationships with women, even relatively successful ones, will just decide it ain't worth the work anymore and go for a sexbot?
How many women will want sexbots?
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
Assuming that one day. they can create robots that are indistinguishable from human beings with regards to outward appearance, to tactile sensation, and with respect to how they would interact with people, I expect that the ultimate consequence of robots that can effectively function as complete companions, including as a romantic partner, would be that the only people that would seek romantic relationships with other real people are those that want to procreate.
Oh, and to answer your last question, probably most of them.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
You might want to practice with a hot-dog first.
Ha ha it's funny because women, eh? Amirite fellas? Fellas?
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Until some point in the 20th century, prostitution was widely tolerated. Brothels operated more or less openly, and even if they were illegal, widespread corruption allowed them to operate anyway. I don't think there was much in terms of unintended consequences for the nature of human relationships.
Sex bots I don't think would change all that much, although it would be interesting to see how the forces of moral purity would challenge their commercial implementation. Would they try to ban sex bot brothels?
I'd wager that the women gaining political rights and economic abilities equal (or nearly equal for nitpickers) is largely what eliminated the accepted levels of prostitution that used to exist. Women with economic and political rights gained the upper hand in terms of sexual power and forced men to negotiate more and give women more sexual control.
Women largely operate as a sexual cartel and seek to eliminate competitors who don't adhere to the cartel's pricing requirements. Sex for pay weakens the bargaining position of women generally by requiring a higher level of compliance with women's interests. When men can obtain sex for money relatively easily, women lose some of their bargaining power.