Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Sex in space: Could technology meet astronauts' intimate needs?

#1
C C Offline
https://theconversation.com/sex-in-space...eds-131630

EXCERPT: . . . While some people might be able to withstand a policy of total abstinence, it might be detrimental to the physical and mental health of others — especially as larger groups venture into space. Yet NASA seems afraid of tackling issues of intimacy and sexuality in space. In 2008, Bill Jeffs, spokesperson for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said: “We don’t study sexuality in space, and we don’t have any studies ongoing with that. If that’s your specific topic, there’s nothing to discuss.

Given what we know about human sexuality, this position seems irresponsible. It prevents research from examining basic questions about sexual health and well-being in space. For instance, how do we deal with hygiene and the messiness of human sex in zero-gravity? How will we maintain a crew’s psychological well-being if people must endure long periods lacking in erotic stimulation and affection? Is imposed abstinence a reasonable solution, based on empirical evidence?

One solution could be to make erotic technologies available to crews and settlers in space. This could include sex toys [...] But sex toys do not address the social dimensions of human erotic needs. This is where erobots come in.

The term erobots characterizes all virtual, embodied and augmented artificial erotic agents and the technologies that produce them. Examples include sex robots, erotic chatbots and virtual or augmented partners. Erobotics is the emerging transdisciplinary research studying human-erobots interactions and related phenomena.

Unlike previous technologies, erobots offer the opportunity of intimate relations with artificial agents tailored to the needs of their users. [...] Erobots represent a practical solution to tackle the inhuman conditions of space exploration and colonization. Moreover, erobotics could enable us to approach questions of intimacy and sexuality in space from scientific, relational and technological perspectives.

Erobots could provide companionship and sexual pleasure to crew members and settlers. ... They could help with loneliness and the inevitable anxieties borne out of solitude. They could act as surrogate romantic partners, provide sexual outlets and reduce risks associated with human sex.

Erobots could also provide intimacy and emotional support. And finally, erobots’ sensors and interactive capabilities could help monitor astronauts’ physiological and psychological health — acting as a complement to daily medical exams. Erobots can take many forms and be made of light material. They can manifest through virtual or augmented reality and be combined with sex toys to provide interactive and immersive erotic experiences. The same technology could also be employed to enact erotic experiences with loved ones back on Earth.

[...] ultimately, we must shed our taboos regarding technology and sexuality as we journey to the final frontier. (MORE - details)
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Article Laser strikes against planes hit record high (technology abuse) C C 0 23 Mar 24, 2024 10:39 PM
Last Post: C C
  Research Biology or technology: Which moves more information per second? C C 0 48 Jan 21, 2024 11:27 PM
Last Post: C C
  Article What is meat? Chemistry and technology is changing how we think about meat. C C 2 91 May 19, 2023 06:57 PM
Last Post: Magical Realist
  Smelling in VR environment possible with new gaming technology C C 0 291 Oct 13, 2022 06:25 PM
Last Post: C C
  Mars & lunar astronauts could make housing material from blood, urea, sweat C C 0 71 Sep 15, 2021 03:22 AM
Last Post: C C
  Standard Critique of Technology is impotent - what's next for coping with technopoly? C C 1 126 Mar 23, 2021 08:12 PM
Last Post: C C
  Biggest technology failures of 2020 + The problem with tech predictions C C 1 159 Jan 5, 2021 02:40 PM
Last Post: Zinjanthropos
  Tech search for space aliens comes up short + OTT: technology, censorship & future C C 0 184 Sep 9, 2020 06:30 PM
Last Post: C C
  ‘Deepfakes’ ranked as most serious AI technology crime threat C C 1 98 Aug 6, 2020 01:45 PM
Last Post: stryder
  Physicists still lost in math (its importance to technology) C C 0 104 Jun 7, 2020 04:42 PM
Last Post: C C



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)