The staff at John & Tony's Steakhouse in West Chicago know the couple well: There's 54-year-old John – a genial man with a big, partially toothless smile who works in truck deliveries – and his wife, Jackie, a petite, dark-haired beauty in a wheelchair whose favorite dish is bacon-wrapped dates. The inseparable pair are staples at John & Tony's, and it's their annual dining spot for celebrating Valentine's Day – but the wait staff are accustomed to taking other reservation calls, too, from people who simply want to sit near them to observe John's doting love. Because Jackie is no normal suburban wife; she doesn't walk, talk, laugh or even eat her beloved dates. Instead, she's a life-sized doll that John'married' on the Jerry Springer show years ago, but he treats her like she's a human princess, gazing adoringly at and chatting away to his silent bride (as strangers look on, aghast.) John and Jackie are the stars of new documentary Silicone Soul, which chronicles the lives of men who've fallen in love with dolls – as well as other doll enthusiasts who have interests and motivations separate from sex or romance, such as a female artist who uses dolls for photography and friendship.

Sex robots have become a fast-growing field of development, with Abyss Creations' 'Harmony' RealDoll among the most famous to date. And now, it looks like Harmony is getting a sister. On stage at CES for Engadget's After Hours show, creator Matt McMullen debuted a new personality named Solana – by switching the sexbot's life-like face for another. McMullen also revealed he is working on developing male sex bots along with the potential for more gender variation beyond that, and cleared up some misconceptions about how the integration of male anatomy may come to fruition. It looks like the Harmony sex robot is getting a sister.

The surging availability of robotic sex dolls and virtual reality pornography means it is now easier than ever for people to rely on technology for all their sexual needs. Experts have warned we will soon see a rise in the number of people whose sexual and emotional appetites are almost entirely satisfied by the virtual world. For many people, technology will form a key part of their identity, and some will prefer to have loving relationships with sex robots instead of humans, the researchers claim. The surging availability of robotic sex dolls means it is easier than ever for people to rely on technology for their sexual needs. Experts have warned we will soon see a rise in the number of'digisexuals'.

Come January, the "Westworld" concept of lifelike sex robots will get one step closer. That's when a San Marcos company will unveil Harmony, an anatomically correct sex doll with a patented animatronic talking head with programmable personality and memory. News of creator Matt McMullen's latest invention -- he's been making lifelike silicone sex dolls for 20 years -- has created international media interest and a firestorm of criticism from ethicists and futurists who see a dark side to a sex doll that becomes more "human" with each technological innovation. One critic worries that the doll's artificial intelligence app could be hacked to make it kill its owner (like the vengeance meted out by sex robots in the film "Ex Machina" and TV show "Westworld"). And women's advocates say owners could realistically rehearse plans for violent sexual acts with the interactive dolls.

Futurists see a world, where one-day robots will be used for chores, from house cleaning, factory assembling, solving diagnostic tangles and conducting repairs, and personalized sex objects with startling artificial intelligence…. Yes, a near human being made out of essential rubber, who will satisfy you physically and mentally, unconditionally. And yes, you can love her, and she will love you back in return, with all the lust programmed into her silicone soul. And how do you ascertain, that she truly feels for you, cares about you, worries about you? Well, she will tell you.

The maker of Realdoll wants you to fall in love with its robot sex assistants. Abyss Creations has been working on robotic sex dolls that form'real emotional bonds' with their owners. Over the weekend, it released Harmony AI, an app that gives its silicone Realdolls a'brain' capable of forming relationships with humans. Abyss Creations has been working on a robotic sex doll that will form a'real emotional bond' with its owner. Over the weekend, it released Harmony AI, an app that gives its silicone Realdolls (pictured is Harmony 2.0) a'brain' capable of forming relationships with humans As well as the app, last month Abyss Creations revealed a AI doll named Harmony 2.0.

During my four-hour visit to the birthplace of the RealDoll, the frighteningly life-like full-body sex toy, I've seen mounds of silicone vaginas, sheets of detached nipples, headless women hanging from meat hooks, a 2-foot penis and skulls with removable faces that attach like refrigerator magnets. Now, as we sit in the dim light of his R&D room, staring at his latest creation, Matt McMullen, the founder of Abyss Creations (the parent company behind the RealDoll), nonchalantly turns to me and says, "All I see is potential." For a man poised to bring millennia of male desire to life, McMullen, a small but striking figure who looks like a reformed industrial rocker, is surprisingly calm. Later this week, he'll launch Harmony AI, the heart of RealBotix, a platform intended to bring artificial intelligence to McMullen's sex dolls and companionship to the lonely, eccentric or curious. Harmony AI is part Android app, part sexualized personal assistant available for download directly from RealBotix.