First sex robot brothel in US enrages religious group, locals

Plans for the first s-x robot brothel in the US have sparked fury with one religious group claiming the androids teach the men to be rapists. Customers will be able to "rent" a robot in a private room before deciding whether to buy one when Kinky S Dolls opens its first American franchise in Houston, Texas.
The lifelike s-xbots - priced from $2,500 (£1,900) each - react to touch and have vocal responses, while more expensive versions with AI can engage in conversations. At the firm's flagship store in Toronto, Canada, customers can pay £17 for 30 minutes of "intense pleasure", £70 for an hour or £120 for a two-hour session.
"Outcalls" cost more - at almost £150 for an hour and £235 for two.
Earlier this month, Kinky S Dolls owner Yuval Gavriel said he plans to open 10 s-x robot stores in the US by 2020.
He told the Washington Examiner he's targeting the American market because there's no regulation.
He added: "The States is a bigger market, and a healthier market, and God bless Trump."
But groups fighting s-x trafficking in the US fear the store's opening will hurt their efforts.
Micah Gamboa, of Elijah Rising, whose mission is to end s-x trafficking "through prayer, awareness, intervention, and restoration", ABC 13: "Our biggest concern is that this s-x brothel with robots is gonna train men to become rapists.
"What's next? Is it child robots? Where's the line? Where is the boundary?"
More than 5,800 people have signed the group's petition calling for s-x robot brothels to be banned from Houston.
The petition reads: "As a nonprofit whose mission is to end sex trafficking we have seen the progression as s-x buyers go from pornography to strip clubs to purchasing s-x - robot brothels will ultimately harm men, their understanding of healthy sexuality, and increase the demand for the prostitution and sexual exploitation of women and children."
Joe Madison, of the group Love People Not Pixels, which combats online pornography addiction, told ABC 13: "We're talking about robots right now. It's a hot button issue, but tomorrow it could be virtual reality or something else. It's coming back to the demand of s-x buying."
Local residents were stunned when they found out about the plans.
One homeowner, Andrea Paul, said: "There are schools here and neighborhoods. To have something like that here is just gross."
Despite their concerns, the store is perfectly legal.