sex-robots
Explanation
This comic explores the practical and philosophical problems with building realistic sex robots.
The first panel sets up the premise with someone dismissing concerns: "Relax, we're never gonna have lifelike sex robots." The reasons given are that human bodies are incredibly complex — skin, sweat, pores, body hair — and that even getting close would require essentially recreating all of human biology, including "a rainbow of body hair."
The second panel presents a catch-22: "Literally every sex act comes with a galaxy of gross, weird, sometimes charming stuff — like that thing where you realize the fungal infection you can't get rid of is because your partner keeps re-infecting you." Sex robots would need to model all of this biological messiness to be realistic, or else model an idealized version that would be off-putting in its own way.
The third panel raises an even bigger problem: "The moment these things are even vaguely convincing, every single human being who buys one will be seen as a creepy perv." This social stigma problem means sex robots face a paradox — they need to be realistic to be appealing, but the more realistic they get, the creepier it is to own one.
The fourth panel concludes with deadpan irony: "This conversation has not been good for my self-esteem." Someone then invites: "Wanna come back to my place? Alexa and Siri extended the visit. I'll get the lights and... get it on?"
The comic works as a surprisingly thorough takedown of sex robot enthusiasm by pointing out the fundamental engineering, biological, and social obstacles. Rather than making a simple moral argument against sex robots, it argues they're practically impossible and socially untenable. The final panel's joke — someone apparently in a relationship with smart home assistants — suggests that the "robot companion" future might end up looking much sadder and more mundane than sci-fi imagines.