Best Robot Love Stories

The Wired Magazine has a run down of the top 10 science fiction love stories. They range from the newly released Wall-E to the Classic Blade Runner to Japanese Surrealist movie I.K.U Conspicuously missing was Steven Spielberg’s Artificial Intelligence. While I was not surprised to see the inclusion of somewhat complicated relationship between Gaius Baltar and Caprica Six, I just that they should have waited a bit for this since the relationship between the too is bound to get even more complicated as Six seem to have something going on with Colonel Tigh. Anyway check out the compete article at Wired. By the way the first sentence is really catchy.

When cute trash compactor Wall-E first lays eyes on Eve, a flying, laser-gun-equipped fembot, it’s binary love at first pixel.

Thanks to Hulleye Comes By for the pointer.

You know Distance Learning but Distance Sex anyone?

First it was distance learning and soon there will be distance sex or at least that’s the idea if Dominic Choy has her way. Here is New Scientist story on this theme.

You’ve heard of distance learning. Now it looks like distance sex is on the way. Dominic Choy of Cammeray, New South Wales, wants to replace real sex with an online robotic experience. He proposes a lifelike flexible mannequin covered with imitation skin (WO 0059581). Servo motors move its limbs and other body parts in response to control signals both from the Internet and from touch and sound sensors on its body. Two people with matching mannequins connect over the Internet, wearing virtual-reality visors so they can see and hear each other. Couples can get together from opposite ends of the Earth—or they could program the system so that one participant resembles their partner’s favourite celebrity.

Love and Sex with Robots by David Levy: An Introduction

The most famous book on this subject is Love and Sex with Robots by David Levy. In this book David Levy considers the basis and implications of relations between humans and robots in the not so distant future. He compares this phenomenon with how humans fall in love with other humans, make bonds with other animals even inanimate objects like their cars. While many of the themes discussed in the book may seem like far fetched science fiction, some of the things discussed in the book are already becoming a reality e.g., the existence of primitive sex dolls, elderly people forming bonds with their robotic pets etc. The era of human-machine relations may not be as far off as we may think! In the coming weeks I will also be posting various reviews of the book along with interviews of David Levy from different sources.

First Word

The blog has its origins in my interest in the current and future possibilities of amicable relationships between machines (specifically robots) and humans. Thus the focus is not on the possibility of sex between humans and robots but rather on the possibility affection between the two. While David Levy has posited the possibility of love, sex and even marriage between humans and robots in the not so distant future, we at “Till Malfunction Do Us Part” are a little more cautious regarding love and marriage and would like to wait and see technology develop a bit more before making any predictions about the future. Thus we will explore subjects like how people can form bonds between their robotic pets, the possibility of sex with human like robots and comment on the blurring line between reality and possibility. So stay tuned as we explore this interesting and fascinating topic. Suggestion regarding stories are encouraged. Welcome to the blog carbon based bi-pedal mammals!