In the 1970s, robotics expert Masahiro Mori hypothesized that as robots became more complex and gained the ability to mimic human features and emotions, there would come a point wherein their eerie resemblance to people would freak regular human beings out. This emotional response was caused by something he called the “Uncanny Valley.”
The Uncanny Valley was explained as the gap between a robot that could almost perfectly imitatepeople and actual human beings. This gap elicited responses of discomfort – sometimes even feelings as extreme as fear or disgust – among flesh-and-blood human beings when confronted with a human-like machine.
Today, nothing exemplifies the Uncanny Valley more than a s*x doll.
What exactly is a s*x doll? The name is pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think? Based on the name, you can probably already guess what they’re used for.
These artificial creations are made to look and feel almost like real flesh-and-blood people. The more advanced versions can even move and talk, inching ever further down the Uncanny Valley.
Recently, a Chinese s*x doll manufacturing company named “Ex Doll” (quite a creative name) in collaboration with “Dolls Sweet Dolls” unveiled their newest creation, the “DS Doll Robotic Head” – a s*x doll head that can smile, sing, and speak almost like a real human being. What’s even more impressive is that these dolls can be controlled using a smartphone or a gamepad controller.
Technology has truly come very far.
A video showcasing the doll’s uncanny ability to mimic human facial expressions is on Youtube and it truly is a sight to behold. The complex movements that the DS Doll Robotic Head are capable of are a visual marvel. Although they do in fact tread the Uncanny Valley, it is a noticeable step towards something that can only be described as almost human.
Currently, the doll head is only able to speak and understand one language – Chinese. Plans to have versions that speak English and Nihongo are being crowdfunded, as of press time.
The DS Doll Robotic Head is a complex mechanized device coated in silicone “skin,” an attempt by the manufacturer to make an outer layer that is indistinguishable from real human skin. Although the doll head’s neck is unable to rotate, it does neatly fit the company’s other body models, allowing for easy customization.
Paul Lumb, head of online adult boutique Cloud Climax, said that the DS Doll Robotic Head is the “Bugatti Veyron of VR (virtual reality).” Unsurprisingly, the doll head comes at a pretty heavy cost – about £4,500 (P298,701.55). Cloud Climax are the only company certified to sell the DS Doll Robotic Head in the United Kingdom.
Lumb stated:
“X Dolls have been working on a robotics head since 2014, but we’re generations away from a Terminator-style cyborg. What they’ve been doing is developing app control for the robot head, but currently with the prototype it’s only got Chinese dialect, which is their core market.”
“Over the next 12 months, they want to develop Japanese and English speaking models. They will have an element of natural conversation, so they won’t sound too robotic, but they will take time – languages are massive. The voice recognition is no different to a smart phone, but this model also has facial expressions, unlike standard silicone heads.”
“Over the last two years we’ve been moving towards real touch, real feel silicon dolls, enhancing the skeleton to make it lighter – these adult-sized dolls have a combined head and body weight of five stone.”
“It’s an opportunity to take this to the next level of where doll development is going, and it’s been happening quietly behind the scenes for ten to 15 years. This is revolutionary, it’s a game-changer – from a gamer’s perspective, it’d be like a new console being released.”
“This is the next step of teledildonics reality, it’s at the forefront of adult tech and is really the Bugatti Veyron of VR.”
A male model of the DS Doll Robotic Head is also in development.
Curious to see what it can do? Check it out below:
Are you prepared to venture into the Uncanny Valley? Would you consider buying something like this? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section!
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