Dancing with Sex Robots? Yes You Cam!

 

Camsoda’s interactive Cardi-Bot talks, twerks, dances and shimmies at your command.

Adult entertainment webcam platform CamSoda has a very particular style of tongue-in-cheek innovation where it comes to product releases: From Dickometrics to PayPhal, they have made language learning sexier and even allowed people to monitor their cryptocurrency investments through their genitalia. Their latest development – dubbed the Cardi-Bot – follows along the same vein, claiming to be the world’s first sex robot that clients can interact with over the Internet – and apparently, it’s for free.

“With the popularity of HBO’s Westworld, and advancements in robotics and AI that have garnered international headlines for the likes of RealBotix and Sophia the Robot, robots over the past year have become all the rage,” says Daryn Parker, VP of Camsoda.

From Dickometrics to PayPhal, CamSoda have made language learning sexier and even allowed people to monitor their cryptocurrency investments through their genitalia Click To Tweet

Taking that appetite for sexbots to a new dimension, CamSoda seized the opportunity to extend their sex tech innovation skills by introducing artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their sexy repertoire in order for clients to interact more fully with new tech – live on the Internet. CamSoda promise that “Cardi-Bot can not only mimic human-like behaviour but also get down and dirty, all with the quick click of a button.”

By using Natural Language Processing technology and machine learning, CamSoda claims that Cardi-Bot will also be able to converse with users and engage in ‘dirty talk’ – live in real time on webcam over the Internet for free once a week. This gives users who would not otherwise be able to afford it, the chance to experience this titillating Turing test, with camming sessions accessible on both desktop and mobile devices via the CamSoda website.

In order to experience this free show, clients will enter a public chat room where they will be prompted by tip menus and a ‘Spin the Wheel’ game of chance so that conversations or specific movements can be requested. Clients can also take Cardi-Bot for a more intimate and private one to one session where the Robot will perform tasks, also activated by tips.

By using Natural Language Processing technology and machine learning, CamSoda claims that Cardi-Bot will also be able to converse with users and engage in dirty talk Click To Tweet

This seems all very exciting, but in order for twerking to be successful for example, surely there must be some sort of wobble or jiggle factor programmed into the erotic movement which Cardi-Bot in its current form may be missing out. The appropriation of Raunch Culture by makers of robots is an interesting one because of the chosen context and type of dance movements and appears to follow on from the commodification of African-American vernacular dance further developed within the sex industry and now in robotics.

In order for robot twerking to be successful for example, surely there must be some sort of wobble or jiggle factor programmed into the erotic movement which Cardi-Bot in its current form may be missing out Click To Tweet

Not only is this a way at looking at the sexualisation of dance, but could also identify specific moves for specific types of arousal. There are also practical design elements to consider because if the robot was not attached to a pole of some sort for stability, for example, it would probably fall over whilst having a good twerk.

VIRP

CamSoda claims that in the near future with machine learning Cardi-Bot will be able to react to more detailed instructions and be able to converse more intelligently. This would probably depend on the quality of conversation by the client, however. It is also hoped that the pole-dancing robot will be fitted with teledildonics in the future, which should enable an “unprecedented experience that mimics real-time sex”.

It is also hoped that the pole-dancing robot will be fitted with teledildonics in the future, which should enable an “unprecedented experience that mimics real-time sex” Click To Tweet

Perhaps to counteract the gleaming harsh metal look of the robot, CamSoda has suggested that they could eventually offer a hybrid interactive robot that is not only fitted with teledildonics but with a more human style artificial flesh covering – like those used to create the “Real Doll” phenomenon for example.

CamSoda like to think of this as ‘VIRP’, short for “Virtual Intercourse with Real People”. This could help with the wobble or jiggle factor mentioned earlier, possibly giving a more realistic experience for the client. This concept strangely sounds more like encouragement for the robot to interact with real people than promoting real people to interact with the robot.

This concept strangely sounds more like encouragement for the robot to interact with real people than promoting real people to interact with the robot Click To Tweet

The Future?

Perhaps Cardi-Bot is part of the evolutionary design process of sex robot development, where research and experiment combine not only with haptics, movement and what is erotic but also with machine learning. Perhaps new tech responses learnt through entertainment robots such as Cardi-bot would determine things like how we perceive a smile or say, an eyebrow twitch in relation to attraction and empathy.

How and if Cardi-Bot creates a knock-on effect in real-world relationships will be interesting too Click To Tweet

There is also potential for learning about power and submission and expectations both real and unrealistic. The uncanny valley will apply to eroticism here and how learned responses will affect the ego of a client. How and if this creates a knock-on effect on real-world relationships will be interesting too.

Nonetheless, it does mean that we will need to up our knowledge of dance moves – with the launching of Cardi-Bot we will definitely need to think about how we shimmy, jiggle and twerk our way into the future.

 

Trudy Barber is an expert in Cyber/techno/robot sexuality and SexTech correspondent at Tech Trends. Give her a poke on LinkedIn or Twitter @TrudyBarber