According to experts in the field, we're not far off from full-on robot-human intimate relationships. From a LiveScience interview with Dr. David Levy, one of the pioneers:
"My forecast is that around 2050, the state of Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages with robots," artificial intelligence researcher David Levy at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands told LiveScience. Levy recently completed his Ph.D. work on the subject of human-robot relationships, covering many of the privileges and practices that generally come with marriage as well as outside of it.
At first, sex with robots might be considered geeky, "but once you have a story like 'I had sex with a robot, and it was great!' appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I'd expect many people to jump on the bandwagon," Levy said.
The rest of the article, including discussion of robot love, ethics, and more pragmatic issues, can be found here.
The idea of having sex with life-sized dolls is nothing new. As a matter of fact, there are already piles of sex dolls on the market, most of which are inflatable. For the DIYers out there, you can also make your own like these:
Instructions and more images can be found here.
But Roxxxy is different. She has five different personalities to choose from, and rudimentary artificial intelligence. Roxxxy doesn't come cheap, though, at $7000 US.
From an article on gizmag.com:
When it comes to technology, the sex industry is no laggard, and as robotics become more human-like in their appearance and abilities, US-based company TrueCompany is poised to launch Roxxxy – the world’s first "sex robot" that has many more capabilities than your average sex doll. Apart from having better defined physical features than previous dolls, Roxxxy has been programmed with her own personality and her manufacturers say she can listen, talk, carry on a conversation, feel your touch and respond to it, as well as move her private areas inside when she is being “utilized” to deliver an unforgettable erotic experience. There are even plans for a male version - Rocky the Robot.
The full article, with image gallery, is here.
Roxxxy made her debut at last year's AVN expo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MeQcI77dTQ
Roxxxy's webpage is here.