County surrounding Houston blocks robot brothel opening

A Southeast Texas county has followed the lead of Houston, its county seat, and changed regulations to essentially stop a so-called robot brothel from opening.

Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to ban "robot brothels" from opening within the county's boundaries. The move comes three weeks after the Houston City Council revised its ordinance on sexually-oriented businesses to block such establishments.

A Canadian company had said it wanted to open a "love dolls brothel" in Houston in which people would be able to use its human-like dolls on the premises. No company had expressed interest in opening such a business in Harris County, but commissioners said they wanted to avert such a possibility.

County Attorney Vince Ryan says the revised regulations follow the same lines as the Houston ordinance.