What will dating be like in 25 years time? Pretty bleak, if this is anything to go by.
A new report predicts that by 2040, there'll be no need to even leave the house because dating will be done in virtual reality.
This is good news in a way, because if it all goes pear-shaped you can simply unplug from your date.
But it also seems pretty alienating. And what happens if you want a good old smooch afterwards?
Imperial College London students were commissioned by relationship website eHarmony.co.uk to look at the future of dating.
They analysed how people’s lifestyle habits have evolved over the past 100 years, drawing on interviews with experts across the fields of anthropology, sociology, technology and biomedicine.
Researchers predict that the rate at which data can be shared will be so fast in 25 years time that all five human senses could be digitally simulated to create a full-sensory virtual reality.
They say it would make dating "a far more efficient and less time consuming process".
The virtual date would be like a real one - for example a person could hold someone’s hand and even smell their fragrance - but it would all be carried out from the comfort of their own home.
Experts also predict that advances in wearable technology would allow people to meet in virtual reality from any location around the world.
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In addition to virtual reality dating, Imperial College London business students predict that by 2040 research will have enabled us to understand how DNA plays a role in attraction, which will aid the "matching" process between two partners.
They also believe people will be able to have their behaviours tracked using everyday devices, which will then help them to match others with similar behaviours.
"Physically, devices could track peoples’ actions and find other singles that have a similar lifestyle pattern, tracking data such as the places people go and the activities they do," reads the Imperial College London site.
"A product such as Smart Contact Lenses could track the type of people you look at most frequently when your body produces the signs of attraction."
Commenting on the findings of the report, eHarmony UK's country manager Romain Bertrand, said: "By 2040 we estimate that 70% of couples will get together online, with technology revolutionising the way we find love and build our relationships.
"This report was compiled by some of the future’s brightest minds, and reflects what we’re already seeing in the online dating industry – that people want to be matched with quality people in the simplest and most efficient way possible."
[H/T Metro]