Dr. Daniel Levy earned his PhD by researching the human desire to have intimate relationships with robots. Granted, Dr. Levy had already written 49 books before finishing, "Love and Sex with Robots," which was published in November 2007, "shortly after he was awarded a PhD by the University of Maastricht for his thesis entitled Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners" ("Why Not Marry a Robot").
That said...Vampires, Unicorns and now Love & Sex with Robots? Inspiration pure!