Almost half of men admit they would buy a sex robot (but they might 'over-exert' us)

Next year could be a tipping point in the history of human sexuality – as men opt to make love to the lifeless bodies of machines, rather than human women.

The first sex robots are expected to go on sale next year, priced at around £12,000 – and a new survey found that nearly half of men would consider using one.

A survey presented at the Love and Sex with Robots conference at Goldsmiths, University of London, found that 40% of men said they would use the devices.

Researchers surveyed 263 heterosexual males between the ages of 18 and 67.

Another researcher at the conference warned that the robots could actually lead to men not having sex with human partners.

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Oliver Bendel of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland said, ‘If the machine over-exerts the human, it reduces the possibility of human sex.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, David Levy author of Love and Sex With Robots says, ‘This coming wave of sex robots will be humanlike in appearance and size. They will have human-like genitals. And they will allow intercourse according to their owner’s sexual orientation and tastes.

‘The machines in question are being developed by Abyss Creations at their Californian factory, and are likely to retail for around $15,000 (£12,300). But we can be certain that rival companies in America, Japan and Korea are scrambling to catch up.