Source: www.inverse.com
The following are some choice excerpts from an article examining the potential for sex robots to spread sexually transmitted infections. It shows that we still have a lot of research to do to make sure that sex robots can thoroughly clean themselves so as not to be a vehicle of disease.
On the ineffectiveness of cleaning just the surface of a sex robot:
“If the material of the sex toy is porous, a virus can hide in it,” Sloane tells Inverse. “A basic cleaning may not be sufficient. Even with a nonporous toy, if it’s used on someone else, it can also transmit STIs. Nonporous toys don’t have anywhere for the bacteria to hide, so the only way they would be transmitted was if there wasn’t cleaning.”
Lesson: The safest sex robots will be made with nonporous material for skin.
On wearing a condom:
“Putting a barrier on it is an added level of ‘OK, I’m sure this doesn’t have anything on it that I can get exposed to.’”
Lesson: If you aren’t sure whether your sex doll is a virgin or not, or if she’s been out late partying, wear a condom! It is very likely sex robots will be shared among people due to their large price tag.
On robot technology to promote safe-sex:
“It’s likely robots will be built with replaceable liners or interchangeable parts.”
Lesson: Robot designers are already begin to come up with solutions to keep users protected.
Final word of advice:
“Look at the quality of the material it’s made of and how it’s being used and make sure something that touches multiple body parts can be cleaned or has a barrier on it,” Sloane says. “If you’re going to get something custom tailored to you and something you want, I would think putting a priority on high-quality material is really important.”
Lesson: Early sex robot technology will not have 100% disease protection built-in. It will be important that owners and users take the necessary precautions themselves to stop the spread of STIs.
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