The staff at Buisness Insider are seriously pissed that the sex robots we were all promised are still not here. Well, at least tech writer Henry Chandonnet is, as he’s penned an article that takes an in-depth look at the reasons why, and at the present state of the sex robot industry. All joking aside, it’s an excellent and thoroughly researched article, with the author talking to important figures that range from Philipp Fussenegger (owner of the Berlin “Cybrothel”) to Neil McArthur (“The Rise of Digisexuality“).
It’s definitely an article you ought to read in full, but I’ll pick out the highlights of it here, along with some thoughts of my own.
After introducing a somewhat “stereotypical” sex doll fan who longs for a real sex robot, Chandonnet explores the promise that seemed so real a decade or so ago has still not materialized. He picks on the now somewhat infamous 2015 prediction by futurist Ian Pearson that “more women would be having sex with robots than with men by 2025”. Both Ian Pearson and myself have pointed out that he didn’t actually say that, and to be fair, he isn’t mentioned by name – rather one of the newspapers that mispresented him. Nevertheless, as the article points out, a decade ago it really did seem that sex robots were close to reality. There were a handful of companies that were already showcasing admittedly crude sex robots and hyping up their desirability and how they would imminently be shaking up society. Perhaps the most infamous of these grifters was a Spaniard by the name of Sergi Santos, who claimed that his “Samantha” sex robot was so hot that it was “sexually assaulted” by male attendees at a tech fair in Austria. This was around the time that feminists were first campaigning for sex robots to be banned under the pretence that they would encourage and normalize rape. Neither Santos nor Samantha have been seen for a number of years.
The only “sex robot” company that was being hyped a decade ago and that is still around is Realbotix, and the author had an illuminating conversation to Sue Ennis, the new President of the company. We learned that although Realbotix has gone through something of a rebranding and has pivoted more to the healthcare and corporate training world, their robots are anatomically correct when it comes to their private parts. In fact, the author mentions that Ennis stated four times to him that she hoped Realbotix would become the “Apple store of intimacy technology”.
The other individuals that the author spoke to mainly discussed the reasons why sex robots have not yet taken off as hoped. Rather than going through each reason in this article, I thought it would be more helpful to provide a bullet list summary.
Why Sex Robots Are Not Here Yet – Summary of Reasons
- Cannot walk autonomously – Current models must be wheeled around; movement options are compared to “a big Roomba”
- Unrealistic appearance and texture – Facial movements look unnatural, skin remains “tough, tire-like,” and speech is still “jagged”
- Extremely heavy and difficult to move – Models can weigh 140+ pounds, making them hard to position and transport
- Feature compromises – Manufacturers must remove features (like oral motors) to make room for AI voice components, “trading sucking for talking”
- Unpredictable and unconvincing AI – Voice AI doesn’t deliver desired experiences; conversations lack depth and memory doesn’t work properly
- Price sensitivity despite lower costs – Prices dropped to ~$3,000 (from $7,000-$10,000+), but sales remain soft
- Market consolidation – Most companies from the 2010s hype cycle have disappeared; only a few survivors remain
- The “novelty” problem – Industry struggles to prove these aren’t just gimmicks that end up “tucked away in your closet”
- Limited understanding of human sexuality – As one CEO admits, “I don’t think we actually understand orgasms”
- Fundamental integration challenge – Combining robotic bodies with AI companions has proven extremely difficult; two complex technologies don’t mesh smoothly
Mostly good reasons, although the “limited understanding of human sexuality” isn’t one. For me, the weight issue is probably the primary reason why sex robots are not yet ready for primetime – particularly when they cannot yet move about of their own accord. As an owner of a hefty sex doll, I often just can’t be bothered taking it out of the cupboard, despite being a strong and healthy male myself. The weight issue could be solved if sex robots were made “petite”, but then they would run into trouble with laws against “underage” sex dolls, even if half-of-their weight was in their breasts. However, one Chinese sex robot company that is working on mobility, and isn’t mentioned in the article, is “Warmcore Tech” – check out one of their robots doing Yoga moves here.
A pat on the back for the author Henry Chandonett, as it’s rare to find such a well-researched and informative mainstream article on sex tech. Here is the link again: https://www.businessinsider.com/we-were-promised-sex-robots-2026-6
