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Consulted December29, 2016

Hot Lady Robots Are a Serious Trend (But Should They Be?)
What we build may say volumes about our carnal instincts.

BY ESQUIRE EDITORS
MAY 18, 2015

The future is forged by pouring a stiff drink, kicking back, and taking a
second to question everything. We here at Esquire.com love a crazy-idea-
that-just-might-work, so this week, we're paying tribute to the forward-
thinkers of past and present with a series called Esquire Predicts. Because
no one gets ahead without imagining what "ahead" looks like.

In the 1985 novel Divine Endurance, author Gwyneth Jones coined the term
"gynoid" to describe Cho, a robot slave character molded from the "ideal"
 female form. (Cho is short for Chosen among the Beautiful.) As Jones' sci-fi
world has seeped into reality, with roboticists around the world dedicating
their lives to building lifelike machine women, the word has stuck—for
better or worse. Is "gynoid" a pejorative? That depends on whether you
think the world has a lady-robot problem.

The recently released film Ex Machina makes a strong case that, as

technology evolves, our gender divide will grow along with it. In the movie,
Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a Silicon Valley genius type, introduces Caleb,
(Domhnall Gleeson), an employee at a Google-esque concern, to his latest
creation: Ava, a sleek, motorized humanoid with a search engine for a brain.
Nathan wants his underling to run the Turing test on Ava, to prove with
certainty that he's created life. Throughout the question-and-answer
sessions, Ava radiates warmth that only humanity can provide, and Caleb is
caught off-guard when the friendship blossoms into something resembling
romance.

Later, Caleb learns that Ava was built to anatomical precision. "If you
wanted to screw her, mechanically speaking, you could, and she'd enjoy it,"
Nathan says to him. But this does not compute for Caleb. Why give her
sexuality? Nathan is quick on the trigger. "Sexuality is fun man! If you're
going to exist, why not enjoy it."

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina

 What plays out isn't exactly a human-robot love story, writer-director Alex
Garland twists his knife into male creators and their lurid intentions. Even
the brightest minds fail to see the Turing test as a form of objectification.
There's a long history of building robots into the picturesque idea of female
beauty. Go back to 1928's Metropolis and you'll meet Maria, an android with
wide hips and a knack for sultry dancing.

Maria from Metropolis

Paramount Pictures

The thinking behind most female robots throughout the 20th century boils
down to: If you want a beautiful woman on your arm, build one. Society's
progression doesn't play a huge factor; see 1949's The Perfect Woman and
John Hughes' 1985 horndog comedy Weird Science for evidence (and feel
free to debate the difference between "robot" and "virtual girl born from
power surge"—same thing, dudes).
Olga the Robot from The Perfect Woman
General Film Distributors
Kelly LeBrock as Lisa in Weird Science
Universal Pictures

Yes, filmmakers want their fembots to have strength, vitality, and heroism.
They just also want them to wear skimpy outfits.

Angelina Jolie in Cyborg 2

Trimark Pictures
Dorothy Stratten as Galaxina
Crown International Pictures

Pamela Gidley in Cherry 2000

Orion Pictures
Pamela Gidley in Cherry 2000
Orion Pictures
Lisa Ryder in Jason X
New Line Cinema

They also want their fembots to kill the men ... while wearing skimpy outfits.
The Fembots from Austin Powers
New Line Cinema
Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Paramount Pictures
Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Paramount Pictures
Joanna Cassidy in Blade Runner
Warner Bros. Pictures

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine

AIP

And you know someone is really, really into the Borg Queen.
Alice Krige in Star Trek: First Contact
Paramount Pictures

The gynoid physique is even more prominent in Japan, represented in

graphic art and massively popular anime cartoons. Hajime Sorayama, whose
design work resides in the Museum of Modern Art, made a career out of
robot erotica.

There have been critical takes. The original Stepford Wives and its gender-
swapping remake both extrapolate the male desire to perfect women
through technology. Guys, it's never OK to swap your loved ones in for
gynoid replacements.
The Stepford Wives
Columbia Pictures

Advancements in technology have allowed modern robotcists to make sci-fi

into sci-fact. "Project Aiko" is Canadian inventor Le Trung's attempt to build
the ultimate female companion. "Bio Robot Artificial Intelligence Neural
System" allows Aiko to teach children, check the weather, work as a
secretary, and help dish out any daily medications. She can also be used
for… love. According to Trung's website, Aiko has sensitivity sensors on her
face and body, including her breasts and even down there. She can also tell
the difference between being touched gently and being tickled. "I know that
it has caused some controversy by putting sensors in Aiko's private areas,"
he writes. "But I want to make it clear that I am not trying to play God, I am
just an inventor, and I believe I am helping science move forward."
Le Trung celebrates Christmas with Aiko
Getty Barcroft Media

A recent study by the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at

Nanyang Technological University in Singapore concluded that, in tests
where men interacted with both male- and female-modeled robots, subjects
exhibited sexism the same way they might with humans. Garland seems to
be on to something paradoxical: When does the aesthetic beauty of a
"product" (or in the case of the above movie characters, filmed
entertainment) veer into objectification of a treacherous order? Are we
falling into archaic pitfalls by casting these robots in any humanoid form? Or
even worse: If we create sexualized robotic women, will the control warp our
perception of real women?

Gentlemen, welcome to the future.