anime vagina I'm staring at a finished Real Sex Doll

 "It's boring," he told me. "I've always found that when you're with any woman, after a period of time you settle down and it loses the excitement of the initial unboxing. Most of the time I'm just love dolls, or I'm looking at porn."

The "uncanny valley" - a term coined in 1970 by Masahiro Mori, a Japanese robotics researcher - describes what happens when an artificial being comes close to appearing human, but narrowly misses and begins to appear creepy to have. This is a hazard for male sex dolls and robots alike. To avoid this creepiness, Abyss intentionally gives its products larger, rounder eyes and more symmetrical faces than humanly possible; they are closer to cartoons than real faces.

I stare at a completed Real Doll ("Michelle" face, body F, custom freckles and pubic hair) and wonder if the strategy works. This lifelike sex doll hanging on a meat hook in front of me is just a touch of baby powder away from being put in a box and mailed to any man.

Steve says there is no specific demographic among his customers. They range from 21 to 65, he says, and include both men and women. He also emphasizes that the dolls can help those recovering from injuries, who have a disability, or who are struggling with mental health issues. "They're not just sex dolls, they're great companions, too," he says.

"They're someone to talk to, they're someone to listen to you, they're someone to cuddle with and of course they're just someone to be there for you in an empty space." (The Sex Doll's clientele is mostly male, but it's a diverse group that includes a few couples.) I look into her blank eyes and instinctively reach out and pat her on the bottom, marveling at her swing.