Remember when you were a kid and you told your friends that you totally loved your new computer, and some little luddite looked at you and said, "So why don't you marry it?" There was that brief moment when you thought your Commodore 64 could, in fact, make a nice spouse. If not, move along. If so, David Levy told participants at a conference last week that we would all be having loving relationships with robots by 2050,
not just trysts in Massachussetts. He predicts that we'll have robots as sex toys within five years and true, deep relationships later on. Some robots already
kiss, some seem to
hate, but Levy says we'll have emotional relationships based on conversation by mid-century. Until that time, remember your C64, your first true love. She / he remembers you, you selfish jerk.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
James @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:17PM
Sometimes I'm damn excited to be living in the times that we're living in with all the advances in technology and science.
However, sometimes I am damn scared of the times that we are living.
This article would fall under the latter category.
Johnson @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:28PM
I wonder if these 'fembots' will be able to run Crysis on max settings...
Blackstar @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:34PM
Wait, didn't Futurama already cover this?
Ignatius @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:02PM
Electro-gonorrhea, the noisy killer.
Demaar @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:38PM
Yeah, Futurama covered this. I can see the hate crimes already... "GIT OUTTA DIS BAR YA DIRTY STINKIN ROBOSEXUAL" *beer bottle is thrown*
Flashpoint @ Jun 22nd 2008 10:07PM
I need Lube....
lots of lube....
Abuzar @ Jun 23rd 2008 12:05AM
Flashpoint, that's just disturbing.
BigD145 @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:52AM
"Hurr. They's purdy just like my Ma."
phanbouy @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:03AM
Flashpoint: just disturbing.
Fixed.
Flashpoint @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:02AM
If your robot shutsdown because of a low battery and you force it to make love...
...is that rape?
kal326 @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:28AM
I for one welcome our fembot overlords......
DEEZNUTZ @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:30AM
Yeah, can't wait for that friend who always wants to "borrow" something to try it out before they decide to buy one for themselves.
engadgetier @ Jun 23rd 2008 5:01PM
funny, during a nice time with ur fembot, sorry, have to shut down due to system31 errors, or even better if it ran vista... =D
ArsenyS @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:20PM
The nerd's best gadget......why go out and get a chick when u can stay in front of the pc all day and make out with your robo-chick...........she can also be re-programmed to do different 'tricks'...........
:P
Matthew Castillo @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:20PM
She/she huh? Better than he/she perhaps? Well, I'll just leave that alone. Could someone please call the editor? -_-
ScooterDe @ Jun 23rd 2008 12:11PM
You seem to have overlooked the key information here:
"emotional relationships based on conversation by mid-century"
Sounds like they are planning male robots for human females.
Burt Reynolds @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:24PM
So judging by the picture, is he predicting that 80's hairstyles are going to make a comeback as well?
Ghen @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:35PM
hell yes! And your mustache agrees.
Minilap @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:37PM
No those pictures are from another website which sells very realistic dolls for sex.
marty.com.au @ Jun 22nd 2008 11:01PM
Whay do they all have their mouth hanging open with that stupid expression on their face?
- No wait, never mind...
Ewwwweuu!!
CL @ Jun 23rd 2008 12:30AM
@ marty
That's where you put your token in ;-)
Eh @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:18AM
"That's where you put your token in"
And you say "I wish I was bigger"?
Andy @ Jun 23rd 2008 4:08AM
No because that's when they actually made these dolls to come out in 2050. Because by then there will be no world to live in after this bull dog dirt we call freedom. Collapse will poor presidency selected by dumb people and by poor decision making in the war and with oil which we have plenty of.
eric f. @ Jun 23rd 2008 11:28AM
No Kidding! WHY are all the robots from JERSEY????
Dave P. @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:26PM
This is not the first writer to write about this story. Check out this article, it much better.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21271545/wid/11915829?GT1=10450
Haikibutsu @ Jun 22nd 2008 11:54PM
No
ethana2 @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:29PM
I don't think I actually consider this progress...
But by that time humanity may be so shallow people won't know the difference anyway..
derX @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:30PM
I've been reading Engadget for quite a while--well, not actually, just 1.5 years--and I've gotta say this is possibly the oddest article I've ever read.
Just, eww.
As a sidebar, though, you know that Newegg's gonna carry 'em....God, I don't wanna even think about Newegg selling them refurbished.
craig#2 @ Jun 22nd 2008 10:56PM
Good idea, I wonder if I could get it patented. Robotic prostitution: Legal?
kal326 @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:25AM
That brings new meaning to Open Box. Open Box items were just returned to newegg by customers. Refurbished items went back to the manufacturer or some other third party to be re-certified to like new condition. Either way with this type of product, neither would be to appealing.
bstear @ Jun 23rd 2008 10:55AM
Adds a new meaning to "open box item" on the 'Egg.
What category would they sell them under? "Miscellaneous Equipment" like Computer Shopper did 20 years ago for the Russian brides classified ads?
Mile @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:31PM
But will it tell me how to spend my money and my spare time?
Johnny @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:32PM
Reminds me of the sex bots from the movie A.I. lol.
Ken @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:17PM
I'm sorry that anything had to remind you of A.I.
JerJer @ Jun 22nd 2008 10:31PM
you...you shut up! that was a damn fine movie!
even though it should have ended like 45 minutes before it actually did end.
the "suicide" scene would have made such a good ending...
Haikibutsu @ Jun 22nd 2008 11:56PM
I loved that movie. But it made me sad, I was probably 8 or 9 when I saw it, and I got scared that my mom would die.
Alex @ Jun 23rd 2008 5:01AM
It should have ended when the kid ate the spinach.
Josh @ Jun 23rd 2008 9:54AM
im gonna go with 'lars and the real girl' on this one...not so much 'a.i.', but id be willing to let you slide with 'simone'
quag @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:32PM
I for one welcome our sexual robot overlords.
I just hope that by 2050 the 80's big hair look is no longer popular with these fembots.
Chris @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:36PM
But the robot won't do laundry and other things that REAL women can do. But we'll just have another 20 or so robots doing that.
Lowest Ranked @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:55PM
Not sure about you but I already have:
a dishwasher
a roomba
a washer
a dryer
a microwave
Yeah, women are pretty much almost replaced. They're used to move the items from one robot to another like taking food from the refrigerator and putting it into the ovenator.
the_fozz @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:38PM
It's the cure for overpopulation! wait, only the smart and wealthy will be able to afford them, sooooo, only the dumb and poor will reproduce, yay!!!! (isn't there a movie about that somewhere?)
CaptSaltyJack @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:53PM
Idiocracy. Great movie.
Ian @ Jun 22nd 2008 11:25PM
agreed awesome movie if not VERY SCARY
John @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:41PM
Bicentennial man
John @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:42PM
Stupid comment system...
ShadowKain @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:31PM
That you couldnt figure out how to hit the reply button??? Oh lord, bless your soul....HAHAHAHA
John @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:41PM
Bicentennial man
John @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:41PM
Bicentennial Man
Paulmichael @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:56PM
Man, talk about fail.