Dublin Brothel Offers Controversial “Ultra-realistic” Sex Robot. Yes, Seriously.

Warning: This article contains NSFW content. Do not read it if you are under eighteen, at work, or are anywhere near children. You have been warned.

Technology is improving faster than many people realize, especially the field of robotics. Robots are far more advanced and realistic than they were several years ago, and with this speed of improvement comes the inevitable question: would you have sex with a robot that looked and felt human? For those of you who answer yes, one particular brothel in Dublin has a sex robot the owners dub “Passion Dolly” — but I prefer the term “brothel-bot.” However, this robot draws ire from many people for glaringly obvious reasons. Beware: the following information might disturb you, but please keep an open mind. Different countries have different opinions regarding prostitution, especially countries where prostitution is legal.

According to sites such as Mirror Online and Metro, this brothel’s sex robot has been available for less than a month and has proven quite popular. The brothel-bot has a metal skeleton, is fully poseable, has silicone skin, weighs approximately 112 pounds, responds to vibration, and has size 32E breasts. The brothel rents out the robot for 88 British Pounds (100 Euro or 114 Dollars) for an hour, or half that for half an hour. Also, the robot was made in America, so make of that what you will.

You probably are wondering about the implications of the brothel-bot. While the robot is attracting many “punters” (I’ll leave the definition up to your imagination), it is also highly controversial. Prostitution is legal in Ireland, and local Dublin sex workers are upset that the robot steals business from real and live sex workers. More importantly, these women believe the robot makes men who use it more likely to view prostitutes as objects. Another brothel in Barcelona offered a sex robot of its own and was forced to stop thanks to Aprosex — the Association of Sex Professionals — which is essentially a union for sex workers:

“The sex-affection of a person can not be provided by a doll,” proclaims a statement on Aprosex’s website (translation provided by Express). “They are different and compatible services. They do not communicate. They do not listen to you or caress you, they do not comfort you or look at you. They do not give you their opinion or drink a glass of champagne with you.”

Organizations such as the Campaign Against Sex Robots and the Foundation for Responsible Robotics also share in the belief that sex robots cause people who rent them to view sex workers, and by extension women, as nothing more than objects. However, the Foundation is willing to play devil’s advocate and claims these sex robots can potentially help people who have difficulty with intimate relationships. Whichever side you support, you should at least thank the brothel for having the foresight to provide free condoms to people who rent Passion Dolly.