Meet Roxxxy the sex robot with a triple XXX. Depending on your view 'she' is either at the cutting edge of the human-robot interface, or a modern reflection on some men's difficulties in relating to real-life partners.
While sex aids are nothing new, what makes Roxxxy different is "we've taken artificial intelligence" and "combined it with a human form," says creator Douglas Hines.
Of course, humanoid robots have been the stuff of science fiction for decades - ever since Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis, or Isaac Asimov's I Robot stories. The reality is somewhat more clunky.
Walking robots currently have little commercial value - they are expensive and are prone to falling over if they are placed on anything other than a flat surface.
One of the best of the bunch is Japan's all singing and dancing female robot, HRP-4C, from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
The main drawback of this type of robot is that they have a very short battery life - they only last for about 20 minutes.
It is enough for a rather impressive dancing routine from HRP-4C says the team, but for little else. "One practical application for biped humanoid robots is the entertainment industry," says AIST "provided the robots can move very realistically like humans."
