Sex and robots: How mechanical dolls may press all the right buttons for lonesome guys

Inspired by sultry cyborgs stalking early cinema to the love-making androids that pepper modern ­science fiction shows, mechanical lady friends have long played cameos in the fantasies of the lonely and frustrated.

But a Hongkonger who recently built his own ­robot woman and plans to teach others to do the same could help make the widespread availability of gadget girlfriends a reality. Robotics hobbyist Ricky Ma Wai-kay, 42, who this year completed his first prototype robot – a busty Scarlett Johansson lookalike – is producing a handbook to help others make their own artificial girls.

Ma, who built his doe-eyed Mark 1 from scratch with HK$380,000 of his own, believes robotic companions may be big business but taking the DIY route is the way to go.

“Many people feel very alone and some people are not skilled at communicating with girls or boys,” he said. “I don’t think they should fall in love with robots but [having a robot companion] could help them psychologically.”

Ma, a product designer, plans to produce the DIY handbook while he raises funds for his second prototype – another female robot with a greater array of ­facial expressions and more natural movement.

For Ma, building a female rather than a male comes down to commercial reasons as he says they are in much greater demand.