Sex robots: designers should make droids for use by elderly and disabled people, ethicist claims

The emotional health and wellbeing of both elderly and disabled individuals could be improved by the use of appropriately tailored sex robots, an expert has said. Bioethicist Nancy Jecker of the University of Washington has argued that the sexbot industry should expand its market further beyond young, able-bodied men. Aging may bring physiological changes and an increased risk of conditions like arthritis and cardiovascular disease that can interfere with sexual activity. However, Dr Jecker noted, this does not remove the desire for intimacy and sexual activity among older adults -- however much such is dismissed by society. A study in 2007, for example, found that more than half of 65–74 year-olds remain sexually active, as did more than a quarter of people aged between 75-85.