By David Linden — Wall Street Journal
Is another human being necessary for satisfying sex? Secretly—and perhaps especially on Valentine’s Day—many people love the idea of somehow being free from the constraint of needing another person to experience the heights of sexual excitement. But they shouldn’t get their hopes up: The state of the art in erotic gadgetry is still very crude, and there are reasons, both technical and deeply human, to doubt that we will soon transcend the familiar bodily requirements of our most urgent desires.Sex robots now on the market can sense the user’s movements or voice and respond accordingly. One is RoxxxyGold the TrueCompanion, a 5’7” tall silicone-and-metal model with measurements of 38−30−37, on sale for $6,995. RoxxxyGold has some sensors in her skin and can respond to your voice and carry on a minimal conversation—but she can’t move her limbs or her face. For those on a budget and not inclined toward romance, one can get a horrific $995 version of Roxxxy with no arms, no legs and no ability to listen to or talk about anything other than sex acts. There’s also a male version called Rocky on offer for $1,495, available with or without razor stubble.