"The Perfect Woman"

[prosperity]

Something I thought that would be amazing (not for "girlfriend" purposes, but in general, as an assistant).

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2023392.ece

[themadkat]

Something I thought that would be amazing (not for "girlfriend" purposes, but in general, as an assistant).

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2023392.ece

You know, I respect his inventing ability and think it's a great machine (as mentioned in the article, yes, I probably would try to talk to her). But overall I feel sad for that man. He should spend some time trying to get to know a real woman, because he obviously has a lot of good qualities that someone is sure to like. I think he is afraid to try to relate to a real, complicated person. I'm not saying he should give up working on his robot...it's really cool. But he ought to try to at least make some friends, if not get a girlfriend right away.

[exaltron]

You know, I respect his inventing ability and think it's a great machine (as mentioned in the article, yes, I probably would try to talk to her). But overall I feel sad for that man. He should spend some time trying to get to know a real woman, because he obviously has a lot of good qualities that someone is sure to like. I think he is afraid to try to relate to a real, complicated person. I'm not saying he should give up working on his robot...it's really cool. But he ought to try to at least make some friends, if not get a girlfriend right away.

Agreed, although in my experience, being internationally known as a guy who keeps lifelike female dolls around to keep him company doesn't exactly make one a chick magnet. I mean, I'm assuming.. wouldn't know from personal experience or anything.. *whistling and walking away nonchalantly*

[prosperity]

You know, I respect his inventing ability and think it's a great machine (as mentioned in the article, yes, I probably would try to talk to her). But overall I feel sad for that man. He should spend some time trying to get to know a real woman, because he obviously has a lot of good qualities that someone is sure to like. I think he is afraid to try to relate to a real, complicated person. I'm not saying he should give up working on his robot...it's really cool. But he ought to try to at least make some friends, if not get a girlfriend right away.

Yeah...I mean having a robot like that is very "I-robot" like. It would be cool to have something like that around to do all the chores, any physical labor, and do all the other "gopher" type work you'd need done. They'd be a pretty good office assistant too...not to mention they could replace factory workers or jobs where people are doing repetitive grunt work.

...of course unions probably would not like that. Workers complain when they get carpel tunnel syndrome or chronic back pain from heavy lifting at work...

...but they might complain when the boss decides to replace them with a bunch of "fem-bots".

[themadkat]

Yeah...I mean having a robot like that is very "I-robot" like. It would be cool to have something like that around to do all the chores, any physical labor, and do all the other "gopher" type work you'd need done. They'd be a pretty good office assistant too...not to mention they could replace factory workers or jobs where people are doing repetitive grunt work.

...of course unions probably would not like that. Workers complain when they get carpel tunnel syndrome or chronic back pain from heavy lifting at work...

...but they might complain when the boss decides to replace them with a bunch of "fem-bots".

Oh, so they'll have guns instead of nipples?

[dadmonson]

Some people might laugh but we all know that he has a potential gold mine in his hands.

He has more hope than this guy who lost everything for his invention...

[Pete Caya]

Look at some of the youtube videos of bullet-ball. His television appearance actually seems to have given him the help he needed to continue his dream.

[JMeganSnow]

...but they might complain when the boss decides to replace them with a bunch of "fem-bots".

Which, ultimately, is silly--a world where all the chores were done by robots would be paradise. It's not like there's a finite amount of work to go around, and automation = higher return on effort. Of course, everyone on this forum probably knows that already.

I just find myself wondering what psychological quirk prompts men to go all Pygmalion. I don't think it's a *substitute* for real women, because from what I can tell men who do this sort of thing consider real women to be not worth the work for one reason or another. I think it comes from looking at relationships as an engineering problem to be solved and dispensed with rather than an ongoing thing like your need for food or water.

I don't know, but it is interesting.

[Mammon]

This seems a little fishy. I don't think Robots are as advanced as this robot is being claimed to be. It just seems to me if you could make a robot do all these things, there would be a lot more of them around.

Getting a robot to walk like a human is something that has been researched and worked on for years now. The more we try to imitate about ourselves the more we find out we must learn.

[softwareNerd]

I think a lot of the extrapolation might come from the journalist rather than the guy who made this. I watched the video on that link, and there is no body. His demo just uses the head, placed on a chair. This developer seems to have done almost nothing on the motor-control side. Instead, his focus appears to be on the visual/auditory processing. In other words, what he has is a camera and microphone, attached to a computer, with some slick software. The fact that he uses a mannequin-head to cover the camera etc. is not essential, except to make the story "worthy" on "The Sun".

The part that I found most impressive was the visual-processing of the hand-written algebraic formula. I've seen some of the audio stuff before, in various university demos. All in all, it's good work, that belongs in a top university, but nothing earth-shattering.

Edited December 13, 2008 by softwareNerd

[aristotlejones]

I just find myself wondering what psychological quirk prompts men to go all Pygmalion.

Payback for being raised by an overcontrolling, hypocritical, dysfunctional, irrational mother.

Not saying it is right to victimize a new generation for the behaviours of a past one, just conjecturing the rationalization probably used.

<*>aj

To stay young requires unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods. RA Heinlein

[liberal]

I would definitely want a robot woman. No nagging. No shopping. No holidays with the inlaws. None of this "my house needs to look like a magical dollhouse from English Manor House magazine". A robot woman would be pure heaven.

I mean, be honest. If men could have their way in a relationship with a real woman, would they have a need for even half the dainty crap they have now?

[JayR]

I would definitely want a robot woman. No nagging. No shopping. No holidays with the inlaws. None of this "my house needs to look like a magical dollhouse from English Manor House magazine". A robot woman would be pure heaven.

I mean, be honest. If men could have their way in a relationship with a real woman, would they have a need for even half the dainty crap they have now?

Is there nothing to be said about sharing your life with someone who represents your values?

What youre looking for is a prostitute that will clean your house.

[suryevor]

yes, that basically IS what i want and definitely all I will pay for. Within a year, I will have a young Asian gal doing exactly that. She will be taught a ton of good stuff, and be lifted out of the gutter, so she is getting a superb deal and I get a gal with no relatives, bs upbringing, etc. Once she gets her citizenship (3 years) I will divorce her and get another just like her. Mutual benefit, costs her nothing that she's not giving away already.

[intellectualammo]

She reminds me of high end sex dolls, the Japanese Love Dolls, the ones by Orient Industries makes Candy Girls.

I would love to own a gynoid one day. I own dolls right now, I've never been happier in my entire life, companionship wise. And I can't even imagine how much better even that will be when gynoids hit the market! I've been very active at a doll forum, where I've been for some time now, so the things that member liberal wrote about, it's common to read there, there is much peace with a silent companion, and surely would be heaven to have a gynoid and fun as hell.

What youre looking for is a prostitute that will clean your house.

She wouldn't be a prostitute, sex would be free. All you have to do is be able to afford a gynoid and the maintenance on her. Program her to reflect your values, etc.

Edited December 28, 2010 by intellectualammo

[softwareNerd]

Program her to reflect your values, etc.

You'll also need some pill to make yourself forget they aren't shared values, but simply an echo, no?

[intellectualammo]

You'll also need some pill to make yourself forget they aren't shared values, but simply an echo, no?

No. I wouldn't need nor want to take any pills. Programming will be convincing enough for me. Real enough for me. Love and Sex with Robots book addressses how some people will eventually fall in love and make love to them. But let's just see how far bionics/ technology can take us, though. I like how quiet my dolls are right now, though. But if I had gynoids, they could talk endlessly to me about all kinds of things. Ask her a question, and she might have internet/search engine/etc. and look up things, tell me all kinds of cool things, while making my food, washing our clothes, and you probably will even be able to employ them, I think Japan is looking into robots in assisted living/retirement/nursing homes, etc.

Pygmalion's Galatea was brought to life by Venus, right?

Well, it's going to be technology that will for us.

Or at least make it pretty convincing, for those that care about that, which I don't. I'm happy with my dolls right now as it is. They are very unconvincing of being "real", only in looks, feel are they convincing at all. I don't need much, but gynoids would make it all way way way realistic. You'd have to take a pill to REMEMBER they aren't humans.

[softwareNerd]

You'd have to take a pill to REMEMBER they aren't humans.

Given the way technology advances, you may be nearly right some day. However, it raises a question: why not make it simpler to remember they aren't human? For instance, why not simply incorporate all that into some next-generation iPad looking device? Why must this device look like a woman? Why not have it look like, say, a talking Labrador or intelligent plumbing? What's the advantage in making it look human?

[intellectualammo]

Given the way technology advances, you may be nearly right some day. However, it raises a question: why not make it simpler to remember they aren't human? For instance, why not simply incorporate all that into some next-generation iPad looking device? Why must this device look like a woman? Why not have it look like, say, a talking Labrador or intelligent plumbing? What's the advantage in making it look human?

Some doll owners like fantasy dolls, ones that are vampires, elven, there was a Sea Nymph RealDoll, a Devil Doll RealDoll, (the latter two custom made by the very talented Matthew Krivicke, the former CEO of RealDoll that now makes dolls for an up and coming doll manufacturer "Sinthetics") a red one for sale for a time that look a lot like Coop art. It's all in what the buyer, customer wants, and who is able to make it for them, and of course the legality and whatever regulations there would be imposed upon them. I am attracted to women, so mine would look like a human woman, slender, small breasted. But due to the technology in them, maybe certain body types might not be possible, depending on all that you want one to do for you. The Bionic Age is gong to be an interesting one indeed, if it has not yet already started some. And if regulations and laws and so forth don't slow it down/prevent some of it.

Right now, people use dolls for companionship/sex (as I do), strictly sex, photography, indclude them in a relationship so they don't "cheat" on their spouse, or because they can't get a girlfriend, or that they simply prefer dolls over real women (as I do), etc. People can use their gynoid/android/synthetic/robot, for companionship, a maid, worker, strictly for sex, or whatever else. It's all in what you want to get out of your purchase and if it can be done for you.

Right now in doll culture, the market is awesome, how it's expanded, but it's just like other markets with demand. There is more of a demand for female dolls, than male dolls. Same with color of skin. So as more tastes are presented to Doll Makers, they see a selfish stake in making a certain color or gendered doll, size, etc. and they go about doing it, sometimes using their own money, or having the people put up a certain amount up front, to get the mold made in order to make the dolls, etc. I recently saw a new American Doll Maker pop up, that scales down their dolls, full silicone ones, with skeletons and can get the price under 2K shipped, I think. This is nice for those that weight/size is an issue, and storage of the doll, too and want a solide silicone doll, as oppsed to silicone and foam, or plushies, etc. I've spent a lot of time in doll culture since being here, and right before that I was active at a literature forum, but it became a bit problematic once my interest turned to dolls! . My writing led me to the doll culture, actually.

Edited December 28, 2010 by intellectualammo