Curious conventioneers packed Hines' AEE booth last month in Las Vegas, asking questions and stroking Roxxxy's skin as she sat on a couch in a black negligee.

"Roxxxy generated a lot of buzz at AEE," said Grace Lee, spokeswoman for the porn-industry convention. "The prevailing sentiment of everyone I talked to about Roxxxy is 'version 1.0,' but people were fascinated by the concept, and it caused them to rethink the possibilities of 'sex toys.' "

Hines, a self-professed happily married man from Lincoln Park, New Jersey, says he spent more than three years developing the robot after trying to find a marketable application for his artificial-intelligence technology.

Roxxxy's body is made from hypoallergenic silicone -- the kind of stuff in prosthetic limbs -- molded over a rigid skeleton. She cannot move on her own but can be contorted into almost any natural position. To create her shape, a female model spent a week posing for a series of molds.

The robot runs on a self-contained battery that lasts about three hours on one charge, Hines says. Customers can recharge Roxxxy with an electrical cord that plugs into her back.

A motor in her chest pumps heated air through a tube that winds through the robot's body, which Hines says keeps her warm to the touch. Roxxxy also has sensors in her hands and genital areas -- yes, she is anatomically correct -- that will trigger vocal responses from her when touched. She even shudders to simulate orgasm.

When someone speaks to Roxxxy, her computer converts the words to text and then uses pattern-recognition software to match them against a database containing hundreds of appropriate responses. The robot then answers aloud -- her prerecorded "voice" is supplied by an unnamed radio host -- through a loudspeaker hidden under her wig.

"Everything you say to her is processed. It's very near real time, almost without delay," Hines said of the dynamics of human-Roxxxy conversation. "To make it as realistic as possible, she has different dialogue at different times. She talks in her sleep. She even snores." (The snoring feature can be turned off, he says.)

Roxxxy understands and speaks only English for now, but Hines' True Companion company is developing Japanese and Spanish versions. For an extra fee, he'll also record customizable dialogue and phrases for each client, which means Roxxxy could talk to you about NASCAR, say, or the intricacies of politics in the Middle East.

Hines believes that Roxxxy is a step above other love dolls -- the similar but mute RealDoll costs about $5,500 -- because her conversational abilities provide something close to emotional companionship. His customer base? Shy, awkward or older men who "have trouble meeting girls," he says.

In an industry known for pushing the technological envelope, observers are curious about how Roxxxy will fare in the marketplace.

"Is this a viable product? Yes," said Sherri Shaulis, an editor at Adult Video News, a trade magazine for the pornographic industry. "There's a market for it. Granted, it's a very small market."

Maybe not. TrueCompanion claims that more than 4,000 men have placed pre-orders for Roxxxy robots, and another 20,000 or so have requested information about the product. TrueCompanion also is developing a male sex robot, named Rocky.

"There's really nothing like this on the market," said Hines, who speaks of his unique creation with what seems like genuine affection. "Whenever she's out in public, everyone wants to talk to her and pose for pictures. It's so cute."

Adam Gregg's obsession with potty humor started when he was 17.

The teenager was standing outside an under-renovation apartment complex when he noticed 80 brand-new toilets sitting nearby.

That would make a funny picture, he thought. Even funnier? A toilet in front of the Capitol. Funnier than that? Someone on that toilet in front of the Capitol.

Gregg held on to that image. And seven years later -- armed with a camera, a commode and a firm belief that others share his sense of humor -- the Round Rock photographer has turned that vision into Random Sittings, a 2010 calendar starring people on potties all over Austin. They're on the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, near the Capitol, at Plaza Saltillo Station. Even

Yes, most of the models dropped their drawers for the shoot. But if you're looking for an X-rated eyeful, keep walking. This calendar is decidedly PG.

"It's not sexual," said Gregg, who works in tech support for Apple. "It's not supposed to be gross or disgusting or political ... I wanted it to be comedy, something people would look at and laugh."

Random Sittings came with a few roadblocks. Gregg didn't have a camera. Or a toilet. Or willing models.

But earlier this year, Gregg borrowed a camera from a friend. He snatched up a toilet from Craigslist. Then he tackled the tough task of finding models.

"I had a toilet, and I couldn't get anyone to sit on it," he said. "No one would do it. Everyone thought it was disgusting."

Eventually, he persuaded a friend to pose. Others soon joined the party. Gregg hauled the 60-pound toilet to his shoots in a baby stroller and stored it in his trunk between sessions. But prying it out of the car wasn't easy. Gregg dropped it at one shoot and the toilet lid broke. He couldn't afford to replace it, so he simply turned it in each shot so the damage wasn't visible.

"I thought it was a great project," said Niki Pham, a part-time model and program specialist at the Texas Department of State Health Services. "I think the idea is cool and funny and different. ... When you're in Austin, you're bound to see weird things, and this is just another one of those things."

Now Gregg is hoping people will shell out $15 for the item he describes as "a great white elephant gift." (The calendars are available at Monkey See Monkey Do and www.randomsittings.com.) So far, he says, he's sold about 100 of them.

Making a ton of money would be great, but Gregg says he's not worried about getting rich. He just wants to earn enough to keep doing what he loves. He has visions of photographing toilets in Tokyo, the Grand Canyon and Times Square. Maybe he'll even try to lure a celebrity.

"Conan O'Brien sitting on my toilet," he said, laughing. "That would be hilarious."