A sex robot with a "resistance setting" that allows men to simulate rape should be banned, a lawyer has said. Kate Parker, who runs a charity which teaches school pupils about consent, warned the "uniquely sinister" technology normalised sexual assault. Robotics company True Companion sells a $9,995 (£7,408) sex doll with programmable personalities including "Frigid Farrah". The American manufacturer has advertised the character as "reserved and shy" and told customers "if touched in a private area, more than likely she will not be too appreciative of your advance". The company said the "Roxxxy Gold" robot offered men the chance to "realise their most private sexual dreams", a promise some critics saw as "encouraging rapists to find a supposedly safe outlet" for their crimes.

The company behind the world's first sex robot has revealed its customers most frequently want sex dolls that look like Marilyn Monroe. The American sex robot manufacturer True Companion disclosed the leading lady is requested more frequently than any other celebrity. However, there is no Monroe sex robot as the company cannot recreate someone without their permission. Instead the company says it creates a'very beautiful blonde with a full figure' as a substitute. An American sex robot manufacturer revealed the Marilyn Monroe is requested more frequently than anyone else with half of orders the company receives are for celebrity lookalikes.

Increasingly lifelike robots attempt to mimic both the physical and mental reactions of humans, but several new advertisements for such sex dolls allow for "reserved and shy" settings that encourage rape. Pre-programmed robots using base personality types such as "Frigid Farrah" and "S&M Susan" are among the several sex dolls made available by websites such as True Companion. Although the physical attributes of the robots are highlighted – simulated heartbeat, circulatory system, motorized vagina, anus and mouth – the emotion-simulating aspects of the robots encourage buyers to purposefully damage the purchaser's custom-built personalities. Included among those personality settings, is the option for a doll that resists when you touch it and another named "Young Yoko" who is "oh so young (barely 18) and waiting for you to teach her." The sex dolls have been sold by True Companion for years, including "Roxxxy," which promises the following experience from the lifelike sex robot: "She knows your name, your likes and dislikes, can carry on a discussion and expresses her love to you and be your loving friend. She can talk to you, listen to you and feel your touch. She can even have an orgasm!"

The report also peers into some of the murkier sub-groups of robot sex including robots being used as "prostitutes" in brothels and sex dolls being used as a sexual therapy practice for rapists and pedophiles. Among the handful of companies that make sex robots – Harumi, Sex Bot, True Companion, Lumidolls and True Companion – many have started designing increasingly life-like sex robots. The founder of Trottla, a company that produces child sex dolls, has touted that robots designed to look like children will help prevent people from abusing real-life children. Sharkey said sex doll customers and sex doll manufacturers aren't seeing eye to eye on the reality and effects of owning a sex doll.

Married couples will only have sex on special occasions, turning to robots to satisfy their day-to-day needs, experts have predicted. Speaking at an international robotics conference, those working in the field predicted that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) devices in the bedroom will be the norm within 25 years. Dr Trudy Barber, an expert in the relationship between technology and sexual intercourse, compared the rise of sex robots to that of the e-book and said the machine would would allow people to appreciate'the real thing' more. Douglas Hines, Engineer-inventor poses with his company's'True Companion' sex robot, Roxxxy, which is one of the options that is already on the market At the International Congress of Love and Sex with Robotics, Dr Barber yesterday said that society's readiness to embrace technology means it was only a matter of time before it also plays a significant role in people's sex lives. She said: 'It could be that we are so busy with our lives, we are so embedded in our technological narrative that the idea of engaging in long-distance sex and robot sex is actually a natural process in our evolutionary cycle.

Kaname Hayashi is known as the "father of Pepper." Hayashi is the "father of Pepper," the charming humanoid robot from Japanese carrier SoftBank Mobile and French company Aldebaran Robotics. Pepper, with its circular doe eyes and welcoming smile, is billed as a robot that can read your emotions. It's available for sale and has even enrolled in school. Like any proud parent whose kids leave home, Hayashi had a void to fill.

Kaname Hayashi is known as the "Father of Pepper." Hayashi is the "father of Pepper," the charming humanoid robot from Japanese carrier SoftBank Mobile and French company Aldebaran Robotics. Pepper, with its circular doe eyes and welcoming smile, is billed as a robot that can read your emotions. It's available for sale and has even enrolled in school. Like any proud parent whose kids leave home, Hayashi had a void to fill.