Video from Inside a Robot Sex Doll Brothel

Are sex dolls the future of prostitution? Joel Golby heads to Barcelona to visit the centre of this strange battleground for the future of sexual politics.

On one side, there's Europe's First Sex Doll Brothel, opened by Serge Prieto – the Sex Doll CEO – who presides over his legion of lifeless figurines. The dolls share a building with real-life sex workers, who compete for the attention of Barcelona's paying public.

On the other side of town are the first signs of resistance against the sex dolls. Stephan, the owner of a traditional brothel, wants to maintain control of the market, spurring the world's first sex doll versus sex worker turf war.

Overlooking all this from up in the hills outside Barcelona is the world's leading sex robot inventor, Sergi Santos, who – along with his wife, the self-titled G Spot Maker – is pushing sex doll technology to its limits.

@joelgolby