THE JAPANESE COMPANY TROTTLA PRODUCES CHILD SEX ROBOTS AND ENJOYS WORLDWIDE DEMAND

The sex dolls are meant to be an outlet for those who are attracted to children, according to Shin Takagi, the head of the Trottla company in Japan

With his production Takagi wants to help people to live out their desires legally. In this way he wants to help paedophiles – who have to suppress their needs permanently – to have a better quality of life.

IS IT WRONG TO HAVE SEX WITH A ROBOT CHILD?

Proponents argue that a human being with a soulless robot, who has no conscience and no feelings, can live out any – however bizarre – fantasy.

They argue that sex robots would protect human lives. The reason is obvious – here machines instead of people are maltreated.

THE ROBOT ETHICIST KATHLEEN RICHARDSON TAKES A DIFFERENT VIEW

For you there are parallels here to slavery and the theses of Aristotle. For them, the only decisive factor is how humans treat robots – synonymous with an ethical status quo. Projections of needs on robots should also be subject to their view of moral and ethical demands.

The US robotics ethicist Patrick Lin becomes even clearer with a comparison

For him, the treatment of paedophiles with child sex robots is a “dubious and repulsive idea”: And he raises the justified question of whether racism can also be treated by letting a fanatic mistreat a dark-skinned robot.

ROBOT CHILDREN AS A SUBSTITUTE PRODUCT FOR ADDICTED

Like methadone for the heroin addict, US robotics researcher Ronald C. Arkin from the Georgia Institute of Technology understands robot children. He believes that pedophiles can be treated with sex robots as a substitute for real children.

The controversial basic assumption here is that it is an “anthropological constant” (i.e. it is in human nature) to want to have sex with children.

Children would be protected by allowing pedophiles to live out their sexual needs on robot children. The question of whether the desires might be increased – instead of reduced – by this has remained unanswered so far.

The jurisdiction faces major challenges

The distribution and possession of “virtual child pornography” is punishable by the US Supreme Court in 2002 – provided that no real children were involved in its creation. This leaves many questions unanswered – for example, what is the legal situation when the true image of a real child is abused?

CAN DEALING WITH THE CONCEPT OF POWER PROVIDE ANSWERS?

Dacher Keltner has conducted numerous studies on the subject of power over the past twenty years. He published the results in his book The Power Paradoxon. He found out that the way we use power influences our own life favorably or unfavorably.

So far, his studies have focused on interpersonal interactions. The result is that the negative use of power reinforces impulsiveness and empathy.

Based on this study, the abuse of power – albeit on a robot child – would result in the perpetrator losing empathy with each sexual offence. This would be a highly undesirable side-effect from a social perspective.

I see this innovation as an example of those products which – before they are launched on the market in series – would have to be tested by an interdisciplinary ethics committee.

It also makes clear how much global trade in goods requires a global understanding of ethics and a globally valid normative legal basis.

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