“YOU want to play?” purrs a blonde sexbot as her piercing blue eyes stare into the camera.
“What’s your desire? What’s your fantasy? Tell me your secrets.”
It’s 10am on a Monday and I’m inside Cybrothel in Berlin – the ‘world’s first’ immersive brothel where customers can pay £228 for an hour with a robotic sex doll called Kokeshi.
Here man and machine come together, as it were, through trailblazing technology.
“We are the future of sex,” says owner Philipp Fussenegger. “We wanted to create an adult playground and a new way of experiencing pleasure.”
As well as robotic sex dolls, Cybrothel also has regular sex dolls which “come to life” through virtual reality (VR).
“AI exists so we have to embrace it,” says Philipp. “Having sex this way isn’t something to be scared of. It can’t compete with conventional sex with humans, it’s just different.”
Sex tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Cybrothel, Matthias Smetana, adds: “Surprisingly, VR porn is very popular among women and couples.
“I think women like to experience how it would feel to have a penis. A woman can put on a strap-on ‘penis’ and have ‘sex’ with the doll in front of them.
“When they put on the VR headset they will see the doll moving and talking to them. It’s a bit like a sexy Siri.
“One time a woman asked the doll what it wanted and it said ‘more people,’ so they ended up having a threesome. Two people and one doll. The technology really is amazing.”
Philipp – who has been described as the ‘Willy Wonka of sex’ tells how his website is the ‘X-rated version of Booking.com’.
“All our sex dolls are silicone and life size,” he continues.
“Our customers can choose their hair colour, her outfit, the type of role play or kink, and if they want the doll to talk or not. The dolls speak English and German.
“After you’ve booked you will get an email from us which will tell you where to go when you arrive at our brothel, and the doll will be waiting in the position you want.
“You will have no interaction with another human while you’re here. You can choose different packages, depending on what your kink is.”
An hour with a robotic sex doll like Kokeshi – a petite blonde with blue eyes – costs £228 with “a voice” and £159 without sound.
“The brothel has both audio and visual devices that are connected to an external control room where an operator is able to hear and see you,” Philipp explains.
“The audio and visual features create the effect we call ‘analogue AI’ to give the dolls a more elevated and playful character for real time interaction.”
When they put on the VR headset they will see the doll moving and talking to them. It’s a bit like a sexy Siri
Philipp Fussenegger, Cybrothel owner
Prices vary depending on the package you book, but to spend a whole night with a doll will set you back £285 upwards.
A ‘basic’ option with a doll of your choice for an hour will cost £75 and one hour of VR (virtual reality porn) will cost just under £85. A robotic doll – like Kokeshi – is the most expensive.
“We offer unbeatable prices,” Philipp says. “Our pricing depends on factors such as technology, lifespan, number of sessions and wear and tear and there are ways people can pay anonymously if that is important to them.”
Philipp tells how Kokeshi is very popular with customers who like the ‘human-like’ interaction – but it broke down after 10 sessions.
“She could move her hips, moan, ‘breathe’ and even had a pulsating vagina,” he recalls. “But because it’s new technology we had some issues with her.
“It’s an exciting market and in a few years the dolls will become more sophisticated and have better technology.
“Look at how far mobile phones have come. They used to be large bricks but now you can do everything on them and fit them in your pocket.”
Philipp says there is “a big misconception” about the type of person who uses AI sex dolls.
“Most people can differentiate between sex with a robot and sex with a human,” he explains.
You will have no interaction with another human while you’re here. You can choose different packages, depending on what your kink is
Philipp Fussenegger, Cybrothel owner
“The majority of our customers are very aware that these are dolls and see them more as big sex toys.
“There’s a smaller group who are looking for a relationship with an object and there’s an even smaller group who are buying a sex doll to live at home with.
“Ninety-eight per cent of our customers are men and two per cent are women – and they mainly bring their partner and have a threesome with a doll.
“Surprisingly, our customers are young – the average age is 32/33 and they’re normal people just like you and I.
“They may not want to have sex with a real sex worker for various reasons. They want to be alone with a doll and not be judged for it.”
Philipp says customers are not allowed to be violent to the dolls or request underage sex or animal role play.
“While our dolls are not real, we look after them,” he explains. “If someone is violent towards them they will be banned.”
Last year a sex toy review site, Bedbible, published a study that claimed the sex robot industry is worth about £165million.
The average price, the company said, of a sexbot is £2,900. It also claimed 17.4 per cent of people say they have either had sex with a robot or currently own a sex robot.
For years psychologists have been examining whether virtual sex has a negative or positive impact on a person.
A recent study from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University found people with anxiety and depression are more likely to explore digital sex tech and may even use it for psychological relief.
Phillip tells how Cybrothel will have more robotic sex dolls in the next couple of years.
“There is so much technology and it’s always evolving,” he says. “Using robots who are human-like could help eradicate sex trafficking and make the world a safer place.”
Matthias adds that they’re doing ‘monthly orgies’ where up to 60 people can play with each other – and the dolls – while VR porn blasted onto a screen brings the dolls to life.
“It’s amazing,” he explains. “It starts at 3pm and finishes at midnight.
“People can leave their worries at the door and explore themselves sexually without judgement.”
