Blow-up dolls, vibrators and the sex robot's uninspired origins

Just a few days before Christmas 2015, I found myself staring down the silicone mouth hole of the "world's first blowjob robot." I'd set out to find the future of sex but quickly realized that: 1) The Autoblow 2 wasn't a robot at all, and 2) I'd be better off sticking to a grapefruit for simulated fellatio. My encounter with the Autoblow 2 was both disturbing and fascinating and sparked a 15-month exploration of male sex toys that came to a head in a small sex-robotics R&D lab in Southern California. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts. The lab is staffed by a small group of artists who meticulously craft individual body parts en masse. There's a man painting erect penises, another carving the contours of a cheekbone, and in the far right corner sits an empty workstation for the lab's dedicated eye technician.