When the MoS approached Hines outside his New Jersey home last week he refused to show us Roxxxy. While his website says she can be purchased for £7,600, Hines declined to confirm how many he has sold.

He gave an odd defence of his robot saying: ‘She does not simulate rape. It’s not even a physical act, it’s sexual assault.’

He claimed ‘Frigid Farrah’ had been misinterpreted and showed the MoS a new patent he has filed in which he envisions the robot helping ‘cure’ prisoners of anti-social or violent behaviour. Harmony creator McMullen denied reports his robot has a ‘slap function’ and admits his creation is ‘many years and several million dollars’ away from the science-fiction version of sex robots popularised in shows and films such as Westworld and Valley Of The Dolls; walking, talking fembots who can cook, clean and pander to their owner’s sexual whims.