Courtesy of True Companion.com

“Do you want fries with that?” “How would you like that cooked?” “Which sides would you like?” These are all phrases one would describe food. When ordering, menus and options are designed for the customization of a dinner’s tastes. But really, sex and eating are not all that different. Everyone has their own preferences, different cultures have different styles, and you can enjoy it with a companion or make due by yourself… It’s an industry in it’s own. And like food, sex, whether you like to admit it or not, is a lot more involved than simple consumption.

Last week the sex robot, a product of True Companion, tantalized the media. Even CNN got a piece of the action. Roxxxy made her debut at this year’s Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her synthetic arms and black lingerie stole the spotlight of the convention.

Roxxxy is 5 feet, 7 inches and weighs 120 pounds; her programming is complete with five pre-sets: from “Frigid Farrah” to “S&M Susan;” the rest is up to you. For a fee of $7,000 to $9,000, in addition to the base-model personalities and three entry points, Roxxxy has the ability to be adjusted to fit specific desires and physical traits. But don’t worry ladies, the male version of Roxxxy, Rocky, is in the works.

For something so in tune with what those involved with adult entertainment want to see, Douglas Hines, Roxxxy’s creator, is relatively new to the industry. Before his journey into the porn world, a voyage he completed with a wife to whom he is happily married, Hines worked with Bell labs as an engineer. The loss of a close friend in the September 11th attacks changed everything. Inspired by the tragic event, Hines decided to put his experience with artificial intelligence and data mining to work.

“What I decided to do was think about how to capture someone’s personality in a computer application,” said Hines.

Roxxxy’s roots go even further back to Hines’ first sex robot, Trudy, developed as a robotic hobby in 1993. Combined with this new personality aspect, Hines went to work on building, in effect, a personable android.

Hines noted that so far, his experience in the adult industry is not much unlike any other industry he has worked in. He is pleased with how Roxxxy has been received, working with some of the largest companies of the adult entertainment world that understand the product’s potential.

The original application for Roxxxy’s technology was health care. The goal was to aid patients suffering from Alzheimer’s or those who were bedridden. To alleviate the stress of someone requiring assisted living, robots would be able to find patients when they called out for help and family members could check in on them through the machine. However, when government Medicare approval and insurance support fell through due to liabilities, Hines decided to apply the same technology to other areas.

“The adult industry is a very large industry and is near recession proof. There are no requirements as to insurance reimbursement.” Hines said. “All that technology and work from designing healthcare products went into designing your perfect mate.”

Construction on a single robot takes about one to two months. Most of that time is dedicated to quality control and customization, from personality traits down to skin tone. Robotics technicians, animatronics specialists, electrical and software engineers are all competing for space in the 5-foot-7-inch frame.

Nick Tassone

Roxxxy is a completely self-contained robot. Inside her inner workings is a computer complete with I/O boards, motors, servos and sensors, all allowing her to interact and understand what is going on around and, ahem… inside her. Roxxxy can hear your voice, talk back to you and feel, as well as interact with your touch. (Yes fellas, she can have an orgasm).

The combined efforts of fine arts sculptors doing life casts, special effects technicians and makeup artists helped achieve the lifelike appearance of Hines’ robots. A machinist was also necessary to produce a skeleton running through the robot’s core in order to replicate authentic human-like positions. Roxxxy’s skin seals the deal, with its hypoallergenic silicone
construction that is both durable and safe for human contact.

Hines’ team even consulted a psychologist for Roxxxy’s development. Though sex was obviously a key component, the machine’s personality was what would revolutionize the product.

“What’s critical for a relationship is common beliefs, common goals, common outlooks on life,” said Hines. This was an element that Hines didn’t want to skim over. “What we’ve done is created an outlet for people to share their inner-most desires and fantasies.”

To Hines, this product is not just for the quiet and reserved, citing those interested in threesomes and the often darkly portrayed world of S&M. He quoted a study by Brett Kahr that brought out the startling fact that 85 percent of all adults keep their deepest sexual fantasies from their partners or spouses. “It’s not just sexual. It’s social — the bonding.”

Roxxxy has piqued interests in other fields. Sex therapists are among the 20,000 individuals seeking information on the sex robots. Their application of the product would be for patients suffering from performance anxiety, where mental worry impairs the ability of an individual to experience physical pleasure and release.

“Think of the Roxxxy as a surrogate. What she allows is the bridging or the transition from a person by themselves to working with another person and engaging that person,” said Hines.

Courtesy of True Companion.com

In addition to the adult industry and health care, Hines’ team is currently exploring ways to introduce the artificial intelligence elements of Roxxxy to areas of retail. One of the benefits of being among the few groups working with anthropomorphic or android technology is that Hines doesn’t have to go out looking for clients. They find him.

“Any time you have people talking to anyone else, there’s an opportunity for us to assist and curve the experience for customers,” he said.

Visit http://truecompanion.com to learn more about Hines’ robot. Preorders are available now. A portion of the sales will be donated to support a woman’s shelter.

Frigid Farrah: For those nights you don’t want to wake mom upstairs.
Wild Wendy: An adventurous chick that’ll do all the talking.
S&M Susan: She’ll hurt you so good.
Young Yoko: A ripe 18, and ready for the taking.
Mature Martha: For the Norman Bates types.

Roxxxy’s Measurements:

• Bust 38”
• Waist 30”
• Hips 37”

Roxxxy’s languages:

• English
• Spanish
• German
• Japanese