‘Got to do my best to please her, just ’cause she’s a living doll,’ sang Cliff Richard in his 1959 hit Living Doll.

This century looks set to be the time Sir Cliff’s nightmare vision comes true – and men start to make love to the cold, lifeless bodies of machines.

But feminist campaigners are claiming that the machines encourage users to think of women as ‘objects’ and prostitutes.

Research director of the Campaign Against Sex Robots Lydia Kaye says, ‘the very business idea of sex robots is modelled on the already existing businesses of the sex trade and the porn industry.

Kaye draws attention to advanced, artificially intelligent models which can be programmed to be submissive – and which could say, ‘Owww’ when spanked.

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‘The creation of sex robots imitates and reproduces the value system of these corrupt and brutal industries that capitalise on the exchange and dehumanisation of women.

‘Sex robots will create another means through which women will be presented as objects to be used for sexual gratification and mistreatment.

‘They will also desensitise humans to intimacy and empathy, which can only be developed through experiencing human interaction and mutual consenting relationships.’

‘We cannot let our humanity and our dignity slip away into a world of technology.’