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{{Short description|Fetishistic attraction to humanoid robots}}
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[[File:Actroid-DER 01.jpg|right|thumb|250px|An [[Actroid]] manufactured by Kokoro Company Ltd.]]

'''Robot fetishism''' (also '''ASFR''',<ref name="asfr">"ASFR", documentary short by filmmaker Allison de Fren, 2004 [http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2408202 (streaming video)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218230746/http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2408202|date=18 February 2007}}</ref> '''technosexuality''', '''robosexuality''', and '''robophilia''') is a [[Sexual fetishism|fetishistic]] attraction to [[humanoid robot]]s; also to people acting like robots or people dressed in robot costumes. A less common fantasy involves transformation into a robot. In these ways, it is similar to [[agalmatophilia]], which involves attraction to or transformation into [[statue]]s or [[mannequin]]s.<ref name="asfr" />

Robot fetishism can be viewed as a form of erotic [[anthropomorphism]].<ref name="asfr" /> When transformation or roleplaying is involved it can be thought of as a form of [[sexual objectification]].<ref name="asfr" /><ref name="metro">"Let's mech love", by Lisa Scott, [[Metro (Associated Metro Limited)|''Metro daily paper'']], 7 February 2007 [http://www.metro.co.uk/metrosexual/article.html?in_article_id=36440 (web page)] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130114013931/http://metro.co.uk/2007/02/07/lets-mech-love-65732/ |date=14 January 2013 }}</ref>

==ASFR==
By its enthusiasts, robot fetishism is more commonly referred to by the initials "ASFR". This initialism stems from the now-defunct [[Usenet]] [[newsgroup]] ''alt.sex.fetish.robots''. Many devotees of this fetish refer to themselves as technosexual,<ref name="metro" /><ref name="bizarre">"Acting Like a Sex Machine", by Kate Hodges, [[Bizarre (magazine)|''Bizarre Magazine'']], October 2004</ref> or as "ASFRians".<ref name="asfr" /> ASFR can be divided into two distinct but sometimes overlapping types of fantasies.<ref name="metro" /><ref name="bizarre" /><ref name="ddiss">"Deviant Desires: Incredibly Strange Sex", by [[Katharine Gates]], Juno Books (October 1999), {{ISBN|1-890451-03-7}} [http://www.deviantdesires.com/map/robots.html (web page)]</ref>

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Nova BanzaiBaby01.jpg|left|thumb|200px|An example of ASFR art.]] -->

The first of these is simply a desire to have a ready-made [[android (robot)|android]] partner. This partner can be desired for sex, companionship, or any combination of the two. The main distinguishing feature of this fantasy is that the android is a completely artificial construct, often manufactured solely to fulfil the wishes of its owner. This type of fantasy or situation is referred to as "built".<ref name="asfr" /><ref name="bizarre" /><ref name="sextv">"Remote Control: Romancing the Robot" (clip only), ''[[SexTV]]'' documentary episode featuring interviews with members of the ASFR community [https://web.archive.org/web/20060716141605/http://www.sextelevision.net/videoplayer/?segmentID=401&n=1 (streaming video)]</ref>

The second type of fantasy prevalent within ASFR is referred to as "transformation". This involves a human who has been either willingly or unwillingly turned into an android. That person can be either oneself or one's partner, or both. It is usually the process of transformation (through whatever means it is achieved) that is the focus of this fantasy.<ref name="asfr" /><ref name="bizarre" /><ref name="sextv" />

Many people in the ASFR community prefer either one or the other.<ref name="metro" /><ref name="bizarre" /><ref name="sextv" /> In some cases this preference is very strong, and people can be as equally repelled by one type as they are attracted to the other. In other cases, there is as much appreciation for built as there is for transformation.<ref name="ddiss" /> A recent informal survey of ASFR community members found that two thirds prefer built while the remainder prefer transformation or some combination of both.<ref name="fc">"Transformation vs. Built Poll", Fembot Central Message Board, Sept. 26, 2006 [http://www.fembotcentral.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4722&sid=6bf74fe352be20c70f2cbfca9f3e49fc (web page)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903053021/http://www.fembotcentral.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4722&sid=7fbd9288b5c9a9cf615ae2615060f37f |date=3 September 2017 }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=March 2022}}

The aspects of this fetish that are most appreciated by members of the ASFR community are greatly varied. For some, things like robotic appearance, motion, or sound are important for arousal.<ref name="metro" /> For others, these are not, and a completely lifelike android that appears to be human is desired.<ref name="ddiss" /> This holds true for other aspects, such as [[sentience]] or [[self-awareness]]. The ability of the android to remove parts of its skin or other bodily appendages in order to reveal its circuitry is quite pleasing to some, but distasteful to others.<ref name="ddiss" /> There is a further divide between those who prefer an android to appear human-like and those who would prefer a more mechanical looking robot, i.e. with a metallic surface.

As realistic androids and humanoid robots do not currently exist in a form readily available to the consumer,<ref name="metro" /> this fetish can only be acted upon in a limited number of ways. Primarily this is done through fantasy, involving either [[Masturbation|self stimulation]] or [[sexual roleplaying]] with a partner.<ref name="ddiss" /> ASFR art is therefore important to aid in the reinforcement of imagination.<ref name="asfr" />

Art with ASFR content includes but is not limited to [[science fiction]] movies, music videos,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOKPuO-XLF4 Electrosexual Fetish (ASFR) Video Directed by Mashyno]</ref> television shows, novels, short stories, illustrations, [[Digital image editing|manipulated photographs]], songs and even television commercials.<ref name="exotic">"Wrong Turns Down The Sex-Info-Highway 5.07", by Martine Duplessis, ''Exotic Magazine'', 1996 [http://www.xmag.com/archives/5-07-jan98/sexhiway.html (web page)]</ref> Such works are sought after by technosexuals since economically viable androids are not yet available. Realistic [[sex doll]]s such as the [[RealDoll]] may provide a way to explore this fetish with existing technology. Recent developments in robotics and [[artificial intelligence]], such as those seen in the [[Actroid]] or [[EveR-1]] may lead to the production of more advanced synthetic partners.<ref name="asfr" /><ref name="metro" />

Some ASFRians do not use synthetic partners, and instead prefer human partners to participate in forms of fantasy play.<ref name="ddiss" />

==In popular culture==
*{{anchor|Robosexuality}}In the animated adult cartoon series ''[[Futurama]]'', set in the 31st century, '''"robosexuality"''' refers to sexual relations between a human and a robot, notably in the episode "[[Proposition Infinity]]" (season 6, episode 4), after [[Amy Wong]] and [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender the Bending Robot]] start an affair.  Their boss, [[Professor Farnsworth]], objects on moral grounds, and two competing propositions are advanced, one to outlaw robosexuality, and the other to legalize it.  The Professor drops his opposition when he reveals that his animus stems from his being jilted by a robot lover when he was younger.  Robosexuality had been referred to in two earlier episodes, "[[Space Pilot 3000]]", the pilot for the series, and "[[I Dated a Robot]]" (season 3, episode 15), in which [[Fry (Futurama)|Fry]] dates a robot which has been downloaded with [[Lucy Liu]]'s image and personality.  In this episode, as opposed to "[[Proposition Infinity]]", Bender opposes robot-human relationships.
*In the video game [[Atomic Heart]], there are references to a robotic carnival being used as a robot brothel for the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] elite. The character CHAR-les also jokes about the main antagonist, Dmitry Sechenov, using the Twins for sexual intercourse, sparking a conversation between Sergey Nechayev, the player character, and CHAR-les over robosexuality.

==See also==
* [[Doll fetishism]]
* [[Gynoid]]
* [[Sex robot]]
* [[Sexual objectification]]
* [[Uncanny valley]]
* [[Mechanophilia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Paraphilia}}
{{Sex fetish}}
{{Androids}}
{{Humanoid robots}}
{{Robotics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robot Fetishism}}
[[Category:Sexual fetishism]]
[[Category:Paraphilias]]
[[Category:Sex robots]]