It Has Begun…..

The day is upon us!

Kokoro Dreams has just released their latest female android, Actroid DER2, which is now even MORE life-like. Not only that, but you can rent “her” for 5 days…. only $3,500 !

Of course, the first two people I told about this (and showed the pictures) immediately jumped to “Sex Doll” ! But, no… she’s not a sex doll. She’s mainly been created to give tours and presentations… a great marketing tactic for “YOUR company’s products” and the like.

While watching the video, I did notice the motion still seems a bit too stiff. Not quite as smooth as I would like, but still fairly convincing, and a good improvement over the last model. If you look back over the past 2 years of the Actroid you will see some amazing enhancements over this short period, and so I’m sure that within the next two years, the motion should be just about perfect. The Actroid DER2 also has a wider range of facial expressions, as well as being able to sync up her speech with her body movements.

A couple other blogs that mention the new Actroid are Newlaunches and Pink Tentacle.

More than half the public comments I’ve read on this at various sites make reference to it’s possible (probable) use as an “adult toy”, which, I suppose couldn’t help but be expected. As one guy directly puts it “I’d hit it!”. While I’m sure this particular model is not “fully” functional, I am well aware the adult industry is not far behind. History shows the adult industry often pushes new technology farther, faster, and the reality of new sex dolls is sure to be here sooner than you think. Another comment (reply) posted by a female wrote “this is very sad, and disturbing. why not appreciate REAL LIVE females?” — however, she immediately followed with (in a bit of a sarcastic or bitter tone, I’m sure) “ooooh wait, that means she would have a mind of her own. oh, i had forgotten! how silly of me.” — which I think EXACTLY proves the point AGAINST hers! Women DO have minds of their own, and, while I’m all for that on a deep relationship level… it goes directly head-to-head with the single guy (or girl) looking to strictly satisfy their physical needs. I’m sure there’s a LOT less mental effort and emotional stress to bed a fembot as opposed to a human one-night-stand… not to mention such safety factors as:

• No chance of pregnancy
• Bots can be hygienically sterilized and so safe from sexually transmitted diseases
• No inhibitions, resistance to kinky or strange fetish requests, or other activity issues
• Always preforms as desired, or can be reprogrammed with desired skills
• Bots are won’t be “too clingy” or “too distant” and desired emotional response simulation can be programmed and even self-learned

Actually, my first impression of her comment response was that of someone who felt threatened! Like this robotic female might truly have some great advantages over human females, and so she might not only have to compete with other women for the affection of men, but now also androids!

Indeed… How will these new androids change interpersonal relationships of men and women? Perhaps it will cause humans to make an extra effort to be even nicer to others, since anyone with an unpleasant attitude could more easily be replaced by one of these androids.

We’re still about a decade away from artificial intelligence good enough to start putting androids in place of friends and more intimate partners who we can interact with on a deeper level, but maybe the bars and nightclubs will thin out a bit as “quick fix” alternatives become more readily available!

We’ll be able to get a much better picture of this thread in the next 2-3 years, and it seems to go right along with another recent post: “Some Day I May Be Fully Alive and Aware“.

October 7th, 2006
Categories: RobotsAndAI . Author: rock808

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