A Canadian professor has argued that bringing a sex robot into the bedroom could be the best thing to happen to a marriage.

Marina Adshade, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver School of Economics, has said that using sex robots could complement human companionships in marriage, in a chapter in the book Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications.

In fact, it could take the pressure off a marriage.

“Today when we look for a marriage partner we’re looking for someone who we have an amazing sexual connection with, is going to be our best friends, who’s going to be a wonderful parent to our children if we want to have them,” Adshade told Canadian TV show, On the Coast.

“That’s a tall order for one person and a lot of people are having a hard time finding somebody who checks off all of those boxes.”

Instead, Adshade says robots could serve as the sexual connection purpose in a marriage, leaving the human couple to focus on the other aspects of intimacy.

“When birth control came along, marriage changed. When women went into the workforce, because of technology, marriage changed. Robots is kind of like another movement.

“To me, it’s an important part of talking about our evolution as a society,” she added.

The sex tech industry is worth around $30 billion but the topic of sex robots is one of the more divisive ones.

Proponents argue that sex robots provide a (part-way) solution to the issues of sexual isolation.

For instance, Professor Neil McArthur, co-author of Robot Sex, told ES Magazine: “We’re starting to really understand the huge cost of isolation to people’s wellbeing.

“I think sexual isolation is a big part of that and sex robots can provide at least part of a solution. They could really help a lot of people who, through no fault of their own, don’t necessarily have other options.”

According to a report in the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy, more and more people are starting to identify as “digisexual” – a person who chooses intimacy using virtual means over human beings.

Yet, those in the Campaign Against Sex Robots camp argue that buying a sex robot is just about buying a real woman, and breeds the notion of using others as objects.

Particularly when sex robots now offer hyper-realistic levels of customisation, such as customisable breast size, body shape, as well as robots being fitted with artificial intelligence (AI) to make them more realistic.

What is the line between a robot and a lifelike being with zero autonomy?

Sex robots are a complicated topic and an issue that will grow as long as the demand for them continues.