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SoftBank warns droid owners not to try sex with them

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"There seems to be something stuck in the socket...."

23 ( +24 / -1 )

The company behind a chatty Japanese humanoid named Pepper has felt the need to remind customers who purchase the robots not to engage in sex with them.

Anyone who spends over $10,000.00 for a robot to have sex with has got to have a few screws loose.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

I'd never be unfaithful to my toaster anyway.

56 ( +58 / -3 )

Those fingers are ribbed. What were the makers thinking, if not of, er-

...

Oh! A better grip when picking things up and carrying them? Of course

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Anyone who spends over $10,000.00 for a robot to have sex with has got to have a few screws loose.

It's only 1/5 that price.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Honestly....what kind of person gets turned on my this thing?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Math really is not that hard folks :-)

2 ( +4 / -2 )

>Honestly....what kind of person gets turned on my this thing?

Oh, you'll be surprised.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I almost feel like suing Softbank for the insinuation.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I think the-very-Softbank finally replied to my repeated suggestions for improvement and claims for compensation. I told them a million times that every time I try to put a hose on Pepper it runs a ladder and in the process I've ruined dozens of them. Don't get me started on garter belts, fishnet stockings and high heels. A nightmare! Either they improve the design to be lingerie-friendly or compensate me for the ruined clothes. A dissatisfied customer.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@Jimizo - Good one ! LOL !

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And to think I'd never had cause to pity a robot before now.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

¥198,000 is less than $2,000

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Life imitates art? Margaret Atwood's latest dystopia novel title Heart has a sub theme of robot sex in the comic caper. Google for longer review in nytimes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The wise-cracking Pepper, according to its makers, can read people’s emotions.

Yeah, right. The drawback is you must have either a limited range of them or must exaggerate them.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

With silicon dolls, internet and fast computer processors we are getting to the point whe. We will see sex robots

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Who'd make love with that?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Who'd make love with that?

@Michael Craig Who said anything about making love? I think it was a different four letter word being alluded to.

Anyway, sex sells. This announcement is just a variation on the theme.

And I am sure there is room in there for an extra input port. When you buy something, its yours to modify as you wish.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A recent show that was on British TV was "Humans" in which robots or "Synths" (short for synthetics) looked like humans and were taking the jobs of humans, and even had a scene where the female ones were shown working in a "house of ill repute" and a female owner of one had sex with the male counterpart. It was a decent series and will probably get a second season. The premise of the show dealt with a group of these machines who had managed to have a program written into them by the creator of the robots that gave them emotions.

If you buy the machine, and willing to not worry about voiding the warranty if it breaks during sex, why is Softbank concerned.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Get used to it. The technological singularity is nigh.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Well at least the "title" caught my fancy...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The fact that they have to say this speaks volumes about the sexual perversion of some folks. although I guess sex with Pepper could be electric.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The real question is: What is the larger ratio of sex that tries to have sex with the robot? Male or Female?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Unless they are leased once purchased the owners are free to do whatever (weird) to their own property, there is nothing softbank could do unless the law was changed (which I highly doubt)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If they don't want people to use it for naught acts, can't they just make it without naughty bits? Or am I missing something/being incredibly naive?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Someone said the bot cost over 10 grand us it seems. But in truth it is roughly 1,644 dollars .

0 ( +0 / -0 )

PR marketing coup? Margaret Atwood dystopian novel set in near future features robot / human sex. Titled "the heart goes last" and officially released tomorrow Tuesday.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

SoftBank warns droid owners not to try sex with them

I don't get it. Ex Machina and kyoko . . . maybe I could see that warning happening.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

From the land that brought you the lap pillow!

Anyway, robot sex is inevitable. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if we reach the point (without killing ourselves) where robots are very much like humans, as is the case in every single science fiction story, movie, and TV show under the sun, one of the first things some people will do is create sex bots. Obviously it would be a highly lucrative industry, and clearly if people are willing to pay $20,000 to have sex with CURRENT robots and increasingly 'real' plastic dolls, people will pay.

Hence, I'm not entirely surprised by this. Nor am I surprised either that a Japanese company would 'ban' sex with the robots in a total act of lip-service, while actually only introducing the idea to the public.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

This seems like something for people with more money than sense. But once somebody buys the thing it becomes their property and Softbank should have no further say in what they do with it. I imagine it's connected to Softbank HQ and reports any attempts to meddle with it and then shuts down.

I'm fed up with the trend for manufacturers to tell people what they can and cannot do with things they have purchased. If Softbank want to maintain control they shouldn't sell it, but rent it.

At 120 cm tall it seems too big to be stuffed up most people's orifices anyway.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So the majority needs to coddle the minority. What's the number of pervs who would attempt such a thing? 1 in 100,000? 1 in 500,000? Let them try and get the voltage to teach them otherwise.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Not the droids you're looking for.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

There are many sexual orientations in this world, some recognized and others less so, but I can't think of one that would actually be motivated by THAT robot. It's not male. It's not female. It's not beautiful and it's not cute, not in a real sense, not in an anime sense. It doesn't even look like a kid if your fantasies run in that direction. Where is the attraction?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"And not in the backseat of our cars either," says Honda.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Oh, this issue has already flown the coop and left the barn.

Last year, Forbes Magazine already asked "Are Child Sex-Robots Inevitable?"

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/07/14/are-child-sex-robots-inevitable/

While during a robotics conference, ethicists discussed the moral implications of using childlike-robots to help treat pedophiles:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-28353238

On the other side, there's already a campaign for Intelligent machines: call for a ban on robots designed as sex toys.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34118482

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is as sad as it is funny.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

SoftBank warns droid owners not to try sex with them

Massive face palm...

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

At least the robot is not rapist. Or is it?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I swear I've been laughing so hard at this article and the comments I've got tears in my eyes. The funny fodder is strong in this one.

If anyone has seen, "Time of Eve" I think one of the situations included the "illegal modification" of one of the female shaped androids who wouldn't go in for maintenance because it would get her "owner" in trouble.

As far as this one goes, it need quite a few cosmetic upgrades for it to become anywhere near appealing enough to even consider such a thing. I know some guy's like washboard chests, but this is ridiculous.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That is a nice ethical dilemma...... would it be consensual sex?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Well doctor it went something like this….I was having a shower when I slipped on the soap….

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Anytime you put "sex" in the title, people on this website goes nuts with every single member having a say.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@DaDude Bingo. Both Softbank and JT were banking on it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It isn't a new idea; in 1983 Isaac Asimov wrote about a woman taking a robot lover in 'The Robots Of Dawn'. However, I think that robot looked more like Michael Fassbender than Pepper!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

In Canada, one robot with Japanese name Aiko Is very cute, charming and feminine. Robot inventor who is a Canadian Chinese has never had good looking and sophisticated girl friend in his life. At the end, he has been getting dirty fantasy with Aiko. He admitted he got some crush on his robot and thinking her like comfort woman of WWII.

Robot and developer relation is same as father and daughter. If that Canadian Chinese has slept or will sleep with his creation, he is an incest man. New law should be introduced for Cat walk model like robots for not being sexually abused by software designers. Some robot can smile, cry and exclaim like human now a days.

In the future, some lonely engineers with dirty ideas will exploit their charming and defenseless female robots. Decent and civilized society will not allow it.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Maybe they should offer free "Tenga" with the purchase of Pepper to avoid any potential problems. Google it, if you don't understand.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Obviously SoftBank is worried about charges of abetting prostitution.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Reminded me of the story on Anime figures under UV light, LOL! Pervs at their best!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Jimizo

LOLOL... Thanks for that! One of the all time funniest comments on JT.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

SoftBank is worry for the future but they can't stop it, and yet technology is becoming more self aware each year, according to the science the last 10 years technology is becoming more fast pace than any century before and each gen of robots becoming more facial human, with silicone implants will more humans mimic, You can't stop some people will look love in their robot maids. Our society is becoming more materialist, teghonology speaking you don't know if you're talking with a robot or a human being in a chat room. But my questions is robots they will self aware how to love? I don't think I will able to see it in this lifetime.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What, no sexy voice from Pepper?!? I'm out! Not interested!!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Once you buy a product, it's yours to use as you please. What Softbank can reasonably assert is that if you break your robot because of misuse that they are not responsible for repair costs.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well, that was a cheap way to get Softbank in the headlines!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One way to find out what happens when you have sex with this new "toy." Try it out ...

And if you do have sex with it ... please let we'uns know about it. Curious as to how everything came out ... er ... or ... something like that ...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

edojin:

" Curious as to how everything came out ... er ... or ... something like that ... "

LOL, I dont want to imagine. Now, once some tinkerer merges this thing with one of those silicone life-size sex dolls, we are talking. Which actually is only a question of time.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And thus Japanese droid sales plummeted. I remember a small droid released a few years ago. It was very feminine looking, and could be taught to imitate movements. The droid was about 30cm tall, very curvy, and when the sales person demonstrated how the droid worked, he had it move it's hands up and down on the circular "shaft" of a table lamp. I broke out laughing, and couldn't stop.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Well, if they stuck a photo of Dan Mitsu over Pepper's face, I might well gave a go...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

LOL

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Sex robots have been part of Science Fiction for at least 50 years, perhaps longer. Ray Bradbury's 1949 short story, "Punishment Without Crime", is about a man who 'kills' a robotic copy of his wife and is punished for the 'murder'. It is hinted in the story that the 'bots can do more than cook and clean.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

the ban on sex with the plastic machine...is the most baffling, causing social media in Japan to light up in amazement.

Not sure why baffling. This is Japan- land of crazy fetishes and wild fantasy.

...I mean, if you can open a "bar" that caters to a stocking-foot-fetish and get enough customers to stay in business I can hardly see how sex with a robot could be surprising.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"Don't mistake with Vacuum Cleaner" notice will be appropriated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"The wise-cracking Pepper, according to its makers, can read people’s emotions."

Well, it's already streets ahead of many J-men, including the one I married!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I'm fed up with the trend for manufacturers to tell people what they can and cannot do with things they have purchased

My guess is that it is oriented to fixing it if the robot became broken, maybe some damages are not covered by warranty.

This reminds me of an episode of The Big Bang Theory where one of the characters using a robot arm to massage first his shoulders, then his nether regions, got stuck and had to go to a hospital, this is clearly using the robot for sex and there are many weirdos who would try to do something with this robot...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Scrote:

I'm fed up with the trend for manufacturers to tell people what they can and cannot do with things they have purchased

Manufacturers don't really care what you do or don't do to your purchases, but they sure as hell don't want to be liable for human stupidity...thus the "Hey we told you not to do that..not our fault"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's guaranteed that a load of people will use this robot for sex acts. I'm sure we'll find that sexbots will be incredibly common in future

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Unless they are leased once purchased the owners are free to do whatever (weird) to their own property, there is nothing softbank could do unless the law was changed (which I highly doubt)

I think the point Softbank is trying to make is that they absolutely will not honor the warranty if it turns out malfunctions or damage are caused by . . .err . . . unauthorized use.

If you get "something" stuck in the socket? Well. you're on your own.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

But to be fair, if you look at any new car owner's manual, you will find the same warning in the first few pages. BMW owners are especially warned to avoid anything beyond French kissing.

And I seem to remember that Panasonic has a special error code for this problem on its high end vacuum cleaners.

So SoftBank is not breaking new ground here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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