People were really freaked out by Channel 4’s sex robots documentary

Channel 4’s The Sex Robots Are Coming has certainly caused a stir. Led by a £11,700 futuristic robot named Harmony, this documentary introduced us to something that was once the stuff of science fiction, as inventors race to make the world’s first commercially available sex robot.

“Sexbots” are designed to talk, learn and respond to their owner’s voice, as well as… uh… the obvious.

• The Sex Robots are Coming – should we be worried?
• Sci-fi has shaped the direction of real-life science – so what happens now reality is catching up with fiction?

But far from racing to the bank to withdraw £11,700, viewers instead raced to Twitter to share their concerns. Isn’t this all a bit… disturbing? Uncanny? And frankly disgusting?

•Warning – explicit content and language •

This #thesexrobotsarecoming is proper creepy. pic.twitter.com/wQYOh7EvEI

— Mr B (@Bedicted_mN) November 30, 2017

#TheSexRobotsAreComing stop the world I want to get off now

— JB (@MrJohnB28) November 30, 2017

So: is the rise of sex robots the sign of a fundamental lack of respect for humans – and particularly for women?

WTF. Just switched over to #TheSexRobotsAreComing & I despair. Let's spend our time, effort & intelligence making a machine to continue the subjugation of women.
Human evolution? We're better than this. Please let us be better.

— Mik Scarlet (@MikScarlet) November 30, 2017

Further reinforced the idea that women are objects for male pleasure. Absolutely appalling. Distasteful doesn't cut it. #Channel4 #TheSexRobotsAreComing

— Colleen Rattigan (@colleenrattigan) November 30, 2017

Imagine having so little respect for your fellow humans that you build plastic ones to fuck… #TheSexRobotsAreComing

— Wynter Tyson (@wynterstwytter) November 30, 2017

#TheSexRobotsAreComing
The Sex Robots Are Coming on C4 – a documentary about men ‘owning’ female robotic dolls and wanting sex with them.
Bloody hell.
Because women aren’t objectified enough eh?

— H; (@helen_a15) November 30, 2017

Of course, this is a show about sex robots. So there were lots of jokes to be made.

Has my sex robot been having her batteries replaced by other men ?
All important lie detector results after the break.#TheSexRobotsAreComing pic.twitter.com/35xKKXDQgD

— VoiceOfTheMysterons (@Mysteron_Voice) November 30, 2017

I hope the Scottish robot malfunctions and starts saying "dinnae fuck wi' me pal" #TheSexRobotsAreComing

— Stu (@long_shanks79) November 30, 2017

#thesexrobotsarecoming
I want my money back! pic.twitter.com/E07ELye2vY

— David Legion (@DavidLegion1) November 30, 2017

#TheSexRobotsAreComing if you marry your sex robot are you pronounced husband and wifi?

— Simon Harris (@Simondo65) November 30, 2017

10 minutes into Netflix & chill and she gives you this look…#TheSexRobotsAreComing pic.twitter.com/kcNh5toKM4

— Channel 4 (@Channel4) November 30, 2017

And then there was this:

"I'm her second owner." Worst sentence that could have possibly been uttered on #thesexrobotsarecoming

— Katy Ward (@KatyWardHull) November 30, 2017

Others were upset to see men trade in the real thing for a robot…

There’s a married man here who has just gone on national TV and admitted he’d consider trading in his actual, living human wife for a plastic shagging doll and yet I’m single? Where the fuck am I going wrong? #TheSexRobotsAreComing

— Sean McLachlan (@Sean__McLachlan) November 30, 2017

And to think all that brainpower – and all that technology – has gone into THIS.

All the things in the world you could put your intelligence in to creating and these people choose a C-3PO someone can put their knob in…. #TheSexRobotsAreComing

— Lise G (@lise_gia) November 30, 2017

These engineers are obvs super clever, it's just a shame this is what they've decided to spend their time and intellect working on #TheSexRobotsAreComing

— SK (@susikabusi) November 30, 2017

But one thing was for sure: The Sex Robots Are Coming definitely started a conversation. Is this really what the future looks like – and what we WANT it to look like?

Seriously weird & fascinating viewing last night on @Channel4 #thesexrobotsarecoming pic.twitter.com/qjTrW6hrDg

— YvonneGoldsmithRybka (@mymcrdiary) December 1, 2017