Robot fetishism
Robot fetishism (also ASFR, technosexuality,[1] robophilia and robosexuality) is a fetishistic attraction to humanoid robots; also to people acting like robots or people dressed in robot costumes. A less common fantasy involves transformation into a robot. In these ways, it is similar to agalmatophilia, which involves attraction to or transformation into statues or mannequins.[1]
Robot fetishism can be viewed as a form of erotic
ASFR
By its enthusiasts, robot fetishism is more commonly referred to by the initials "ASFR". This initialism stems from the now-defunct
The first of these is simply a desire to have a ready-made android partner. This partner can be desired for sex, companionship, or any combination of the two. The main distinguishing feature of this fantasy is that the android is a completely artificial construct, often manufactured solely to fulfil the wishes of its owner. This type of fantasy or situation is referred to as "built".[1][3][5]
The second type of fantasy prevalent within ASFR is referred to as "transformation". This involves a human who has been either willingly or unwillingly turned into an android. That person can be either oneself or one's partner, or both. It is usually the process of transformation (through whatever means it is achieved) that is the focus of this fantasy.[1][3][5]
Many people in the ASFR community prefer either one or the other.
The aspects of this fetish that are most appreciated by members of the ASFR community are greatly varied. For some, things like robotic appearance, motion, or sound are important for arousal.[2] For others, these are not, and a completely lifelike android that appears to be human is desired.[4] This holds true for other aspects, such as sentience or self-awareness. The ability of the android to remove parts of its skin or other bodily appendages in order to reveal its circuitry is quite pleasing to some, but distasteful to others.[4] There is a further divide between those who prefer an android to appear human-like and those who would prefer a more mechanical looking robot, i.e. with a metallic surface.
As realistic androids and humanoid robots do not currently exist in a form readily available to the consumer,
Art with ASFR content includes but is not limited to
Some ASFRians do not use synthetic partners, and instead prefer human partners to participate in forms of fantasy play.[4]
In popular culture
- In the animated adult cartoon series Fry dates a robot which has been downloaded with Lucy Liu's image and personality. In this episode, as opposed to "Proposition Infinity", Bender opposes robot-human relationships.
- In the game Atomic Heart, there are references to a robotic carnival being used as a robot brothel for the Soviet elite. The character CHAR-les also jokes about the main antagonist, Dmitry Sechenov, using the Twins for sexual intercourse, sparking a conversation between Sergey Nechayev, the player character, and CHAR-les over robosexuality.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "ASFR", documentary short by filmmaker Allison de Fren, 2004 (streaming video) Archived 18 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^
- ^ a b c d e "Acting Like a Sex Machine", by Kate Hodges, Bizarre Magazine, October 2004
- ^ ISBN 1-890451-03-7 (web page)
- ^ a b c "Remote Control: Romancing the Robot" (clip only), SexTV documentary episode featuring interviews with members of the ASFR community (streaming video)
- ^ "Transformation vs. Built Poll", Fembot Central Message Board, Sept. 26, 2006 (web page) Archived 3 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Electrosexual Fetish (ASFR) Video Directed by Mashyno
- ^ "Wrong Turns Down The Sex-Info-Highway 5.07", by Martine Duplessis, Exotic Magazine, 1996 (web page)
External links
- Fetish (ASFR) Music video by french electronic music musician Electrosexual, directed by Mashyno, dedicated to the ASFRians
- The Technosexuality, Pygmalionist & Mind Control Fetish FAQ 3.0
- Sexually Interactive Autonomous Robots (Friedman and Kubat, M.I.T.)
- Interview with David Levy, author of Robots Unlimited: Life in a Virtual Age Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine