TIME robotics

Activists Campaign Against ‘Harmful’ Sex Robots

Sex Robot
Paul Sakuma—AP A life-size rubber doll named Roxxxy is on display during the Adult Entertainment Expo on Jan. 9, 2010 in Las Vegas.

Several companies are developing robots that could serve as sexual substitutes

They are yet to hit the shelves, but activists are already campaigning against the sale of so-called sex robots, which may be “harmful and contribute to inequalities in society.”

Several companies are developing robots that can be used as sexual substitutes for humans, leading to the launch of the “Campaign against sex robots” on Tuesday to highlight the potential dangers.

Kathleen Richardson, a robot anthropologist and ethicist at De Montfort University in Leicester, U.K., is leading the campaign and warned that sex robots might come in the guise of children, as well as adult women.

“When I first started looking…

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