Price estimates
The following is an attempt to break down the price of a unit into its major components and to provide ballpark estimates for typical hardware configurations. It includes historical information about SXD prices, for comparison.
Based on the prices listed below, a unit may cost anywhere from $16100 to over $46000, not including other aspects of total cost of ownership, such as a charger and the cost of electricity. Typical unit prices are closer to $37000.
Most units are built around a body called the DAX-series standard chassis. Exact part and type numbers for these bodies are tediously long and describe the exact physical parameters (including sex) of the design, which is often unique. The standard chassis is the principal example of an SXD-compatible chassis, which is analogous to an ATX-compatible case for a desktop computer; wiring, mounting brackets, and other components are expected to be compliant to the SXD standard. A chassis consists of a metal frame, synmuscle bundles to control joints, flexible cryolubricant piping, servos at major joints (typically the hips, knees, ankles, wrists, elbows, neck, shoulders, and waist) for additional strength, touch sensors (pressure, vibration, flutter, etc.), an exterior aluminum subdermal layer, a mouth and throat compartment with speakers, ear-like structures containing microphones, and wiring to connect all of these components to the cortex and/or power supply (main controller).
Every chassis has a cortex compartment, a controller mounting point, and eye sockets. Light bus peripheral mounting points are commonly found on the face, forehead (e.g. for horns), hips, stomach, chest, pubic mound, above the buttocks; these provide data and power connectivity via the main controller.
Typically, a chassis will include a human-like oral cavity. Optionally, this may contain actuators or vibrators for performing fellatio. Most chassis include hookups below the oral cavity for a chemical-metabolism "stomach" to permit the unit to ingest food and drink for conversion into cryolubricant. A chassis may additionally have bays for installing female genitals and/or a simulated rectum.
Final coatings, over the aluminum surface, are optional, but vary widely in feel, durability, heat retention characteristics, and the degree to which they diminish resolution of the tactile sensor array.
The price range for a DAX chassis with no installed components is between $3000 and $5000 US, depending on size, and may be higher for extensive custom designs.
† Does not include price of bundled fuel cell.
* Bulk-order discounts available for public sector organizations.
* Restrictions may apply to international customers.
The SXD 1.0 first retailed in 1989 for $99,999.99, equivalent to more than $215,000 today. Comparable parts for a modern DAX-series unit would cost approximately $36000, slightly cheaper than the average. Major reasons for this discrepancy include:
Substantial improvements in manufacturing technology and supply chain. Many components in the SXD were originally outsourced to devoted companies, resulting in razor-thin margins despite the high price tag. Today, DAX units are made fully in-house, heavily utilizing nanoscale 3D printing in place of individual die casting.
Scale. NS accumulated more than 20 years of experience in robot manufacture between the end of the SXD production run in 1992 and the launch of the DAX/2 in 2015.
Improvements in battery technology. Power density for new cells is far higher than most forms of storage available in the late 1980s, allowing the reversible RTG power systems of the SXD to be largely supplanted. The remaining stock of such uRTG batteries is greatly diminished in capacity compared to the cells that shipped with the original SXDs, due primarily to reduced half-lives.
Inductive charging. This was originally non-standard on the SXD (being included in precisely one production unit), but was moved into the main controller after the DAX/2 revival, eliminating the dependence on expensive transformers. Although it is possible to connect a nanoconnectivity port bank to a power outlet, modern OC and NS outlets manage power conversion on the unit's behalf.
CortexPlus. The CortexPlus architecture is a massively parallel computer consisting of hundreds of thousands of cores, but it is much simpler than the millions of cores found in the original SXD Cortex module. This drives down production costs dramatically, and the end result is a much more ethical and regulation-friendly artificial intelligence.
Nevertheless, individual SXD units have been sold at auction and in private sale in recent years for considerable amounts:
Modern units
Based on the prices listed below, a unit may cost anywhere from $16100 to over $46000, not including other aspects of total cost of ownership, such as a charger and the cost of electricity. Typical unit prices are closer to $37000.
Chassis
Most units are built around a body called the DAX-series standard chassis. Exact part and type numbers for these bodies are tediously long and describe the exact physical parameters (including sex) of the design, which is often unique. The standard chassis is the principal example of an SXD-compatible chassis, which is analogous to an ATX-compatible case for a desktop computer; wiring, mounting brackets, and other components are expected to be compliant to the SXD standard. A chassis consists of a metal frame, synmuscle bundles to control joints, flexible cryolubricant piping, servos at major joints (typically the hips, knees, ankles, wrists, elbows, neck, shoulders, and waist) for additional strength, touch sensors (pressure, vibration, flutter, etc.), an exterior aluminum subdermal layer, a mouth and throat compartment with speakers, ear-like structures containing microphones, and wiring to connect all of these components to the cortex and/or power supply (main controller).
Every chassis has a cortex compartment, a controller mounting point, and eye sockets. Light bus peripheral mounting points are commonly found on the face, forehead (e.g. for horns), hips, stomach, chest, pubic mound, above the buttocks; these provide data and power connectivity via the main controller.
Typically, a chassis will include a human-like oral cavity. Optionally, this may contain actuators or vibrators for performing fellatio. Most chassis include hookups below the oral cavity for a chemical-metabolism "stomach" to permit the unit to ingest food and drink for conversion into cryolubricant. A chassis may additionally have bays for installing female genitals and/or a simulated rectum.
Final coatings, over the aluminum surface, are optional, but vary widely in feel, durability, heat retention characteristics, and the degree to which they diminish resolution of the tactile sensor array.
The price range for a DAX chassis with no installed components is between $3000 and $5000 US, depending on size, and may be higher for extensive custom designs.
Main controller units
| Item | Retail Price |
|---|---|
| DAX/2 (P/N ending in "F") | $9000 |
| DAX/2m (P/N ending in "M") | $7500 |
| DAX/3 (P/N ending in "F") | $10000 |
| DAX/3m (P/N ending in "M") | $9000 |
| NS-112 Aide | $9000* |
| NS-113 SuperAide | $11000* |
| NS-114 SuperAide 2.0 | $12000* |
| NS-115 Scout | $8000 |
| NS-120 Mesta | $9500 |
| NS-226 Hephaestus | $6000 |
| NS-304 Daybreak | $6500 |
| NS-409 Nightfall/3 | $7750*† |
| NS-476 Aegis | $10000* |
| YS-712 Extensible Service Unit (XSU) | $9000 |
| NS-888 SXDjr | $30000 |
† Does not include price of bundled fuel cell.
* Bulk-order discounts available for public sector organizations.
Surface components
| Category | Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Horns | $400–$600 (per pair) |
| Handles | $300–$800 (each) |
| Eyes | $1000–$2000 (per pair) |
| Ornamental status lights | $150 |
| Power switch | $10 |
| Nanoconnectivity ports and faceplate | $400 |
| Akashic icon | $700–$900 |
| Light gauge | $450 |
| Microhook scalp coating | $200 |
| Devotion-compliant collar | $800 |
| Holo-Pleasure Probe | $3000 |
| SuperBit projector | $1250 |
| Metalloplastic Nova coating | $2000 |
Internal components
| Item | Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Hitachi massager (vaginal socket) | $4500 |
| Hitachi massager (anal socket) | $3500 |
| Catabolism chamber | $1200 |
| CortexPlus processing core | $6000 |
Batteries
| Item | Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Hydrogen fuel cell | $250 |
| Opaque alkaline cell | $100 |
| Lithium-polymer cell | $300 |
| Metabolic–voltaic reactor | $600 |
| Sonofusion reactor* | $1500 |
| Uranium radioisotope thermoelectric generator (refurbished)* | $1000 |
* Restrictions may apply to international customers.
Other accessories
| Item | Retail Price |
|---|---|
| Controller dust cover | $200-$400 |
| Induction charger | $1000 |
| Collectors' display case | $3000 |
SXD prices
The SXD 1.0 first retailed in 1989 for $99,999.99, equivalent to more than $215,000 today. Comparable parts for a modern DAX-series unit would cost approximately $36000, slightly cheaper than the average. Major reasons for this discrepancy include:
Nevertheless, individual SXD units have been sold at auction and in private sale in recent years for considerable amounts:
| Unit | Year | Buyer | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63-2749 | 2014 | M. L. Guisse | $2,400,000 |
| 63-2753 | 2014 | (name withheld) | $2,500,000 |
| 55-0029 | 2015 | X. Xanth | $5,600,000 |
| 63-2757 | 2015 | T. Peluso | $3,100,000 |
| 61-0355 | 2016 | A. Santei | unknown |
| 63-2764 | 2016 | (name withheld) | $3,200,000 |
| 62-8506 | 2016 | (name withheld) | $800,000 (damaged) |