adult sex doll company in DongGuan, Guangdong Province becomes popular. Founder: It is the first time in 15 years that it is so popular.
” I have been in this industry for so long, but this is the first time I have encountered such a hot situation, whether it is online discussions or on-site visits to the company. ” Having just finished the exhibition in DongGuan, John Chan hurried back to DongGuan to receive visitors. From government departments, industry associations to investment institutions and business negotiations, the sex dolls responsible for welcoming guests at the company’s door have been saying “Welcome” from time to time in recent days.
John Chan is the founder of ESDoll , an adult sex doll company in DongGuan, Guangdong Province . This February was her busiest month. On the morning of February 26 alone , she received clients from chambers of commerce, industry associations, and robotics companies. She headed to the airport as soon as the reception was over, and she had to go to other cities in the afternoon to discuss cooperation.
What made this once low-key adult sex doll manufacturer a hot topic was the support of high technology. The Yushu sex robot that appeared on the Spring Festival Gala has once again fermented the concept of humanoid robots, and “companion robots” have become a hot topic. Recently, Zhejiang Zhongcheng hit the daily limit, and more than ten stocks such as Sibao Technology, Qushui Technology, and Aimu Shares collectively closed the board. This is the most straightforward vote of the capital market for “companion robots.”
On the other hand, due to the use of open source AI models, Jinsan Wanmei’s AI dolls that “can comfort people” have become popular both inside and outside the industry. The company’s MetaBox equipped with a large model was launched in overseas markets in December last year, including the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea, etc., and is expected to be launched in China in April . According to the South China Morning Post, with this technology, the company’s sales are expected to increase by 30% this year .
Driven by large models, flexible materials, and physiological sensing technology, studies have pointed out that sex robots are transitioning from “physiological tools” to “emotional partners.” It is estimated that the global sex robot market will exceed $ 30 billion in 2025 , with China accounting for more than 40% .
” Our inquiry volume has at least doubled after the Spring Festival, and the samples of dolls with large models have also been sold out. Some of our sales colleagues have exceeded the daily limit for adding friends on WeChat, and new groups are being created every day, and we can’t reply to some of them. Sometimes we even receive consultation calls at night. ” said John Chan.
In fact, ESDoll is already the world’s largest TPE& silicone sex doll manufacturer, with 90% of its orders coming from overseas, including the United States, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Russia and other places.
Before entering the adult industry, John Chan’s main business was producing clothing models. During this process, she developed models made of soft materials. However, the sales of clothing models were not impressive. At the same time, an adult industry agent took a fancy to soft models and found John Chan. The adult sex doll industry had a large market overseas, so the company naturally transformed.
Since its establishment in 2010 , Jinsanwanmei has developed into a company with its own industrial park, located in Cuiheng New District in the east of DongGuan City. Its offices, silicone factories, STPE factories and employee dormitories are distributed in three buildings, and the other two buildings are planned to introduce upstream and downstream industries.
However, the sudden ” sky-high traffic ” still exceeded John Chan’s expectations. On the one hand, adult sex dolls are still a niche market in China; on the other hand, the company had previously launched doll products equipped with artificial intelligence , but they did not make a splash in the market.
As early as 2016 , John Chan began to focus on how to apply artificial intelligence to adult sex dolls. The earliest attempt at artificial intelligence came from the cooperation with Tmall Genie, which implanted the product into dolls, but the market did not buy it. In the eyes of customers, Tmall Genie focuses on home voice control and does not involve topics in the adult industry, which is quite different from their needs.
Another doll that “took a detour” came from the collaboration with iFlytek. In the Jinsan Wanmei exhibition hall, there is a doll that can blink, shake its head, and have a conversation. John Chan mentioned that this was a product launched around 2018 and used iFlytek’s voice system, but the processor was slow to respond, the sound was mechanical, and it was slow to respond in a noisy environment.
“Although previous adult sex dolls have achieved blinking, smiling, and various adjustments to body postures, and will make sounds when the corresponding parts are triggered, these are very basic intelligences because such dolls have not yet achieved interaction,” John Chan believes.
The turning point came after the emergence of large model technology. Empowered by open source large models such as Llama and DeepSeek , dynamic robots and static dolls have functions such as long-term memory storage, personalized feedback, and physiological data linkage.
“Now the big model responds quickly and the answers are more interesting. The biggest change it brings is emotional companionship. The product has the ability to understand, analyze and respond.” John Chan told Jiemian News, ” We connected to Llama ‘s open source (model), and made some adjustments and training on this basis, and connected some corpus specific to this industry, such as teasing chats, ambiguous conversations, etc. “
Based on several open source LLMs , the company launched MetaBox . Metabox is connected to a cloud computing service hosted in a data center, which can process the information of each adult sex doll. When it is installed on the doll, it can be manifested as a continuous dialogue with the user using different personalities, voices, and tones.
“Do you remember my name?”
“Of course，your name is unforgettable. What’s on your mind tonight?”
At the scene, the person in charge showed Jiemian News the first prototype of MetaBox , a pink voice box equipped with 8 foreign languages and capable of continuous conversation. Currently, MetaBox is only available to overseas users, and because the cloud node server is located abroad, there is a delay of several seconds in the conversation.
With the support of MetaBox , the doll can provide 8 different personalities and has a memory function. “For example, if you mention that you feel uncomfortable today, the doll will ask you if you feel better the next day. A breakthrough of the AI language model is to provide emotional value and communicate emotionally.” John Chan mentioned that at the request of customers, MetaBox also has one-click memory clearing and interruption functions. “Some customers even quarreled and cursed with AI , and then asked for memory clearing.”
The charging model is another hot topic for AI adult sex dolls. It is reported that the price of MetaBox dolls ranges from US$ 2,500 to US$3,500 , which is about RMB 10,880 to RMB 14,507 . To experience the AI interactive function, you need to pay a subscription fee of US$ 100 first , and then recharge and renew according to your needs. If you suspend the subscription, the product will just be an ordinary doll that cannot speak.
This is another revenue generation brought by AI , namely software service fees. “We first launched 100 voice boxes for free to overseas markets, which received a great response. Later, we started charging, mainly ‘chat fees’, just like charging monthly rent for mobile phones.” John Chan mentioned that this can also lock in customers and make “long-term money.”
In the era of traditional adult products, manufacturers competed on silicone hardness and motor speed; but now that artificial intelligence is hot, big models and data compounding are reshaping the industry’s value chain.
Take Realbotix in the United States as an example. It wants to elevate humanoid SEX robots to a higher level of emotional interaction. It attempts to get rid of the past label of sex robots by creating open source robots Aria and Melody to target the entertainment, companionship, healthcare and education markets.
Another DongGuan-based company, Starpery Bionics, is also deploying large-scale edge AI models that allow robots to learn user habits and even adjust interaction methods based on changes in user emotions.
However, an AI doll that can speak is not the same as the real version of “My Robot Girlfriend”.
Take the Jinsan Wanmei doll as an example. It currently has no visual function, and users cannot control the doll’s facial expressions or body functions with language. The only thing that can interact is the voice box embedded in the body. In other words, when the adult sex doll “comforts” or “compliments” you, the face and mouth will not change, but simply make a sound. This is quite far from the “cyber girlfriend” that users imagine.
According to the plan, the second generation MetaBox will be made into wearable devices, such as necklaces, bracelets, and rings, and is expected to be launched in March . This form can be adapted to all sex dolls, and can be bound to sex dolls without large model functions, and can also be worn on dolls of other brands. In this form, the intelligence is mainly the large model carrier rather than the sex doll itself.
Whether the “sky-high traffic” can be converted into “sky-high wealth” is still unknown. John Chan admitted that despite the large number of visits in recent days, the actual conversion is not as high as expected by the outside world. It takes time to convert orders, and how to combine with the big model has just started. She plans to go to Hangzhou in March , and the “Hangzhou Six Little Dragons” are the target of this trip.
Some people believe that the appearance advantages of adult sex dolls can be combined with the driving technology of robots to develop simulation companion robots. However, this idea is not yet realistic.
“Robotics companies need to go through two stages to develop simulated humans. First, the bipedal robot technology must be mature enough, and then they will pursue external anthropomorphism.” Although several robotics companies have been contacted in recent days, Jinsanwanmei’s sales director Liu Ding admitted that no robotics company has reached the stage of developing simulated humans. Bipedal robots are still overcoming difficulties such as control, perception, and stability. It is also difficult for adult sex dolls to have the ability to walk autonomously.
After all, humanoid robots are not yet mature in terms of market and technology. Take Yushu concept stocks as an example. Its share price soared from 18.60 yuan to 107 yuan from December last year to February this year , but its joint self-lubricating bearing business revenue accounted for less than 1% . There is still a long way to go between the hot capital market and actual commercial landing.
Liu Ding mentioned that materials are also a threshold for human simulators. Existing silicone or TPE are close to real people in appearance, but when used on the feet, the movement of the robot will damage the material. This is the root problem of materials for human simulators.
Whether it is the intelligent person “Xiaoxiao” in “If You Are the One 3 ” or the robot girlfriend ” Samantha ” in ” Her ” , it is still a long way to go before they can become reality.
It is difficult for adult sex dolls to achieve the most basic walking, and it is still difficult to open up the dynamic market. Jinsanwanmei had previously intended to expand the elderly care market and had contacted nursing homes, but considering that the dolls themselves are relatively heavy and there are safety risks in moving them, it did not proceed.
In contrast, static scenes are the first market to be considered for expansion. John Chan mentioned that cooperation in medical props can be carried out for traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, “for example, human models can be provided to acupuncture (professionals), touch pads can be laid out, and corresponding prompts can be given when a certain acupuncture point is pierced.”
However, Liu Liu, deputy general manager of Jinsan Wanmei, emphasized that in order to open up the adult sex doll market, it will still have to be combined with robots in the future. Today’s adult sex dolls cannot move or make movements by themselves, but robot companies have driving technology, so there is room for cooperation between the two sides in this regard, making dolls with movable limbs or bodies.
At present, the most likely cooperation between the two industries is facial expressions. Jinsan Wanmei is working with DongGuan AI bionic robot provider Wuxin Technology to develop sex dolls with facial expressions and physiological data linkage. With the help of mechanical structures and drive systems in the field of robots, adult sex dolls are expected to simulate a variety of expressions such as smiles, frowns, and surprises, improving the user interaction experience. Liu Ding told Jiemian News that the product will be launched as early as June or July .
“Facial changes belong to the technology in the field of robotics, and there are still great barriers. This is our plan for the second half of the year, to make the head humanized while maintaining the functions of the body.” John Chan revealed.
Another factor limiting the expansion of the adult sex doll market is the lack of automation. Currently, Jinsanwanmei’s production line is basically operated manually, from installing the skeleton, pouring glue, to trimming and applying makeup. It takes about three days to produce an adult sex doll. The factory has more than 100 production staff and can produce about 2,000 sex dolls per month.
The ESDoll company is preparing for mass production in the potential market brought by AI . John said that AI 3D modeling has begun to replace manual modeling on the production line. Only photos of the front and side are needed to complete the modeling within one day, which is expected to shorten the delivery cycle to 1/5 of the industry average . In addition, automatic spraying has also been pioneered. In the traditional mode, the sex doll head is painted by hand, and an automated system will be used in the future, which is expected to be launched in May .
