When Dolls Respond: The Technology of Intimacy
From pooping infants to sex robots, today's dolls are nothing like their raggedy sisters of yore.
-
1 of 14
The Evolution of the Doll
Remember when dolls just sat there, ready to be nuzzled and styled and poked and prodded by their Lilliputian owners? Nowadays, dolls are just as likely to nuzzle or prod, or to cry, pee, poop, talk, or walk. But at what point does this new kind of companion threaten to alter traditional norms of interpersonal interaction? Click through this slideshow to see the doll evolve from the author's beloved Lola, pictured here, to its current technologized state. Photo courtesy of the author
-
2 of 14
Furbies
Furbies expressed a range of emotions through their eyes and ears—expressions that were reactions to a child’s touch of its sensors. A child in one of Turkle’s studies told her “a Furby kind of alive” is different from “an animal kind of alive.” But if objects can be sort of alive, Turkle asks, will there be a kind of emotion—a ”sort of love”—that is reserved for things that are “sort of alive?” Photograph of Furbie by Dave Bullock/eecue.
-
4 of 14
My Real Baby
This bundle of electronic joy (first called BIT—Baby IT, then My Real Baby) was created by Hasbro and iRobot in 2000. It behaved like a real baby, changing its behavior based on what you did to it. If you shook it, it cried. If you rocked it, the crying stopped. It was used by kids but was also tested in nursing homes to see if it could boost morale. It sat on fragile laps of octogenarians and lent an ear to doting grandparents whose kids didn’t visit as often as they should have. Photo of My Real Baby by Getty Images
-
5 of 14
Sony AIBO
AIBO, Sony’s famous $2,500 robotic dog, was so playful and responsive that even adults became attached. AIBO was designed to fetch, express moods, and learn from its environment. For some kids, that made him a little too real. Lance Ulanoff wrote in PC Magazine: “One afternoon, my wife and daughter arrived home to find the AIBO sprawled out on the floor—completely drained of power. My daughter, just six years old at the time, thought the AIBO was dead and began to cry.” Photograph of Sony AIBO by Getty Images
-
6 of 14
Wrex the Dawg
WowWee has its own version of a robo-pup: Wrex the Dawg, at a more affordable $100. Wrex expresses moods and “desires,” and you can program him to “disobey your commands.” Photo of Wrex the Dawg courtesy of WowWee
-
7 of 14
Elmo
We can’t talk about furry electronics without mentioning Elmo, whose product advertisement calls him a “life-like creation” even though he is not quite as sophisticated as some other products. Kids can bring him to “life” by rubbing his foot, stomach, back, or nose. His strengths are his communicative powers: His mouth moves as he talks, and it has “mannerisms” and body language, including that he “crosses his legs while telling stories”—an image as endearing as it is absurd.
-
8 of 14
Amazing Allysen
Dolls like Amazing Allysen push emotional buttons. Their expressiveness comes from eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and cheeks, which move in response to a child’s touch or voice, creating a sense of connection. The doll “listens, speaks & shows emotion,” according to the manufacturer. The message being sent is: Your relationship with the doll is a two-way street.
-
9 of 14
FemiSapien
This curvy fem-bot, whose native language (according to the product description) is “emotish” and “consists of gentle sounds and gestures,” is a sort of Barbie-bot. FemiSapien’s legs are long, her hips sway as she moves, and her techno-tits are improbably high. (I know of no push-up bra that can do what her metallic melons do.) As one reviewer suggests, some may end up “robocopping a feel.” Photo of FemiSapien courtesy of WowWee
-
10 of 14
RealDoll
While FemiSapien’s intentions are purer than her curves might suggest (she sings, dances and performs comedy routines, according to the website), this RealDoll (girl versions available too) is meant to be used exactly as you would expect, and the robotic versions aren’t far behind. This is not as outrageous as it might seem. We’ve already been introduced to the man-doll and even man-fembot relationship in movies like Lars and the Real Girl, Austin Powers, and even an old episode of The Twilight Zone.
-
11 of 14
The Twilight Zone
In the 1959 episode called “The Lonely,” convicted criminal James Corry is exiled to another planet and given a robotic doll companion named Alicia, with whom he falls in love. The true test of his love comes when he is exonerated; there’s no room for her in the spaceship back home. The notion of genuine love for a robot has been around for some time. Now that technology is inching towards convincing life-simulations, can the actual relationships be far behind?
-
12 of 14
Paro
Paro is a robotic seal developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and has been used in Japan and Europe to sooth nursing home residents and possibly diminish dementia. Paro responds to touch and can track faces, which amounts to looking at people as if it’s paying attention to them. But is Paro like a dog—a morale-booster for the lonely—or, like a stuffed animal, is it a fine distraction but disturbing when presented as a substitute for human companionship? Photo of Paro by Getty Images
-
13 of 14
Pleo
Pleo was created by Caleb Chung, inventor of Furbies, in the labs of Ugobe (which filed for bankruptcy in April), and was advertised as “a UGOBE life form.” Pleo can see, hear, and can feel touch and react. He gets tired and injured. (If you pull his leg too hard, he’ll limp for a time and then recover.) He can yawn, sigh, sniff, snore, stretch, and cry. And he was designed to walk more like an animal than a machine. Photo of Pleo by Rob Lee
-
14 of 14 Lola's Future
Much of this technology isn’t good enough to have us suspend all disbelief—loud motors, slow and inconsistent responses still place these creatures firmly in the “object,” not “conscious,” category. But the next generation of toys is sure to further push the boundaries of our human-robot relationships. Lola is tattered after 30-plus years, and her limbs hang loose from her sockets. She might have fared better if she’d offered some sign of life—a smile, a nod, a wink, a tear. Photo of Lola courtesy of the author
