Living dolls: sci-fi’s fascination with artificial women

From Pygmalion to Ex Machina, the idea – and the ideal – of building a ‘perfect woman’ has come down through history. A new book explores whyFrom mechanical dolls to the eponymous Coppélia, the Jetsons’ Rosie to Ex Machina’s beguiling Ava, the lure of technology to create a manifestation of “the perfect woman” has long proved seductive.But just why are automatons so attractive? And just what is this “perfect woman” anyway? Rounding up a veritable sorority of artificial