Human–Robot Interaction and Sexbots: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

At present, sexual robots have become a new paradigm of social robots. In this paper, we developed a systematic literature review about sexual robots (sexbots). To do this, we used the Scopus and WoS databases to answer different research questions regarding the design, interaction, and gender and ethical approaches from 1980 until 2020. In our review, we found a male bias in this discipline, and in recent years, articles have shown that user opinion has become more relevant. Some insights and recommendations on gender and ethics in designing sexual robots were also made.

Social Robots in Hospitals: A Systematic Review

“…We have found in the literature numerous terms related to social robots such as (1) chatbot, (2) bot, (3) virtual assistant, (4) robot companion, (5) artificial social, intelligent machine, (6) social assistive robots, (7) telepresence robot, (8) remotely operated robot, (9) personal assistant, and (10) autonomous robot. In a way, all of them fall within our scope; the difference among them comes from the fact that some of them combine software and hardware (4-10), while others are usually only software (1)(2)(3). [43,60] offer exhaustive and historical reviews of robots.…”

“…In recent times, the academic community has taken a growing interest in human-robot interaction (HRI), particularly with social robots [1]. This field is dedicated to identifying, creating, and assessing robots and their interactions with people [2]. HRI includes computer science, engineering, psychology, and other areas of study involving these systems and social behaviors [1].…”

User Experience in Social Robots

“…Authors acknowledge the existence of several systematic literature reviews in the broad field of robotics [52][53][54][55][56], some of them in the field of human-robot interaction [57][58][59][60]. However, in the specific field of social robots, there are two works worth mention, one on the interaction with sexbots [61] and another on specific design guidelines for social robots for the elderly [62]. To the best of our knowledge, an SLR that focuses on user experience in social robots does not exist in the extant literature.…”

New Challenges for Ethics: The Social Impact of Posthumanism, Robots, and Artificial Intelligence

“…In fact, as well as silicone dolls, there are also real sex robots fabricated in models for all tastes and all budgets. For example, on the market, there is Harmony, a Realbotix sex robot model, equipped with artificial intelligence, movement capacity, and its own personality [ 8 ], due to the software it is provided with that allows one to shape its personality and features, choosing from intelligent, romantic, moody, shy, and enterprising versions (he quotes). There are also male and transgender dolls as well as hybrids, i.e., with some removable parts ([ 8 ]).…”