Covid-19 Crisis: Will it re-define Human-Robot relationship?

More than 180 countries across the world are reeling under the tremendous pressure created by the tiny little virus.

Apart from having huge impact on economies, societies and governments, this virus has changed the way people interact with each other and the way they see their relationships in future. It has changed the way people look at their human partners.

Sex, or intimate relationship has been a part of human civilization since man was born. And, intimate relation with life-size statues is also not unknown. The popular myth of Pygmalion talks about an artist who fell in love with his creation and imagined that the statue is responding to his sexual advances. In fifteenth century, sailors going on long trips used to carry cloth made sex dolls with them.

In the modern world sex dolls translated into reality with Engineers trying to make human-like assistants that are equipped with artificial intelligence and can be customized as per individual needs. These machines, also called Sex Robots are expected to become a dedicated assistant or a friend to their owners.

In year 2010, Douglas Hines showed off his creation to the world- the first asex sex robot Roxxxy, at the Las Vegas Adult Entertainment Expo in 2010.

It was launched as a life-size robotic girlfriend who was able to learn owners likes and dislikes. The company claimed, “she has a personality, she hears you, she listens to you, she speaks, she feels your touch.”

Since than lot of other companies have come into existence trying to explore the potential market for specialized machine companions of humans.

Pandemic led increase in demand

But it was only recently that the coronavirus pandemic gave the much-needed boost to this sector. Government imposed strict lockdown, fear of infection and loneliness resulted in increased demand of such robots.

According to a report in the Forbes, the Co-founder of Sex Doll Genie, Janet Stevenson, “the company saw a 51.6 per cent increase in orders from single men in February and March, with a 33.2 per cent year-on-year growth in orders placed by couples in April.”

The creator of Harmony, the frontrunner of sex dolls in this industry, told Forbes that the sales of sex robots have increased by probably 75 per cent compared to the pre-lockdown period.

The UK based CMG Leisure have also witnessed increased demand of sex robots. In India the lockdown led to 65 per cent growth in sexual wellness market.

But will the pandemic make way for sex robots and will they become an important part of our society?

This may not be true today, but the coronavirus pandemic could actually make way to greater acceptance of these intelligent machines.

One can take a hint from the ‘Safer Sex and Covid-19’ guidelines posted on the official website of the City of New York. The guidelines do suggest exploring virtual options for intimate relationships.

It suggests “taking a break from in-person dates and opting for video dates, sexting, subscription-based fan platforms, sexy virtual parties or chat rooms.”

Experts at New Jersey family planning league and Mayoclinic have similar advice for people. They are suggesting people to maintain social distance as much as possible and opt for virtual dates.

With the pandemic already forcing people to reconsider options for safe sex, a Sex Robot promises safety from unwanted exposure and the makers are already cashing on it.

Abyss, the maker of sex robots RealDolls in an Instagram post that the dolls they make are ‘naturally antibacterial.’ Whether they are antibacterial or not, it has not been proved yet, but they do offer less exposure.

But this is not the only thing these specialized machines could offer.

The Robot makers are also realizing that the pandemic has increased loneliness in humans.

They are now offering their products as a companion or an assistance that could offer mental support to their owners and can engage in interactive conversation with the owners. They are exploring ways to make a Sex Robot, a trustworthy companion and an honest partner for the owner.

According to a study by Eduard Fosch-Villaronga and Adam Poulsen, published in the Paladyn, Journal of Behavioral Robots, “some manufacturers advertise that their sex robots can learn. One such robot utilizes ’deep learning’ to learn through conversation with the user, aiming to build a relationship with them. Another can learn a user’s ‘interests and preferences’ through conversation.”

Matt McMullen, the creator of Harmony gives some perspective to human-robot relationship and says, “having this character that you can talk to and even be intimate with goes a long way.”

There have been few studies pointing that for those with social or emotional issues and for older people these Robots could have some kind of therapeutic help.

A consultation report on Our Sexual Future with Robots says, “older persons in care homes do need contact, love and some desire sexual contact. However, whether or not care home residents find robot sex acceptable is another matter.”

Dr Kate Devlin, a computer scientist at Goldsmiths University talks about sexual healing and supports sex robots on care homes. In an interview she said, “You could be talking about someone who has lost a husband or a wife and they’re feeling alone and perhaps that is one thing that we could offer.”

Concerns over such machines

But there is an ongoing debate about how the features of sex robots are designed and whether they promote gender stereotyping.

A report in phsy.org says, the construction of sex robots with specific features reinforces negative ideas about identity and roles in relationships.

The report say, “Sex robots have no likes or dislikes, no strong opinions, are unable to refuse or revoke consent and always submit to their users. This distorts ideas of what a female companion’s role ought to be and could influence the expectations of male users in real life.”

That’s not the only concern, child-like features in robots raises some serious ethical questions.

Because of these reasons there is a growing demand of banning sex robots.

The Campaign Against Sex Robots says such kind of machines are “potentially harmful and will contribute to inequalities in society” and will further “sexually objectifies women and children.”

Dr. Christine Hendren of Duke University told BBC News that “Some robots are programmed to protest, to create a rape scenario, some are designed to look like children.”

A lot is at stake and no wonder scientists call to stop unregulated use of such robots. Experts also argue that these machines may well foreshadow, in many ways, the demise of intimate relationships in the modern world.

However, Computer pioneer David Levy does not believe that the advent of emotional and sexual relationships with robots with end or damage human–human relationships.

Believe it or not robots are coming and are coming in a big way to become part of our everyday lives. They could be our assistant, our helper or simply our necessity, but in years to come our dependency on them would increase. They do have potential to become our dependable partners and at the same time could change the way we think about humans and interact with them.

They could contribute immensely for the betterment of human society as well as can damage the underlying fabric of the society.

As Patrick Lin writes in Forbes, “The way technologies are designed can solve or create new problems”