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The robotics field undoubtedly has some major challenges to face before any Ray Bradbury visions of our android-filled future are to be realized. One of the biggest may be a problem not of mechanics but of human psychology: the fact that most people find things that look almost but not quite human to be incredibly creepy. Take, for instance, the weird-looking animated “people” in the movies Polar Express and Final Fantasy; they looked uncannily like people — but not just like people — and the movies bombed. In 1970, Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori tried to figure out why people are repulsed by the uncannily human, and he came up with this fascinating graph:
Note that “familiarity” here means emotional response. What’s interesting is that the more human something looks — up to a certain point — the more we respond favorably to it. (That’s why we like Alf and Shrek and Little Nemo; they’re anthropomorphized to seem more human.) But get too close to looking human, and our affection turns to revulsion, and quick. That’s what mori calls the “uncanny valley,” which in the case of non-moving objects includes not-quite-human things like corpses, and in the moving (and thus more repulsive) category includes zombies. If Mori were making this graph now and not 37 years ago, we’re pretty sure he would’ve placed some of the latest triumphs of robotics near the nadir of that valley.
Take the work of Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro, one of Japan’s leading roboticists. He’s made several robots in the last few years that are likenesses of real people, including himself, a prominent Japanese newscaster and even his four-year-old daughter. They’re all downright creepy, and the more advanced and realistic they get, the creepier they get. (When his daughter saw her robot double, she freaked out, and thereafter wouldn’t go anywhere near the thing.) But don’t take our word for it: we found some video of Dr. Ishiguro’s robots, and some videos of zombies. Which are creepier?
Robot!
Zombie!
Robot!
Thanks to Damn Interesting for the info.
Comments (9)
Comment
Thank you for the neat summary of the uncanny valley - if any of your readers are interested, I’m currently working on my PhD exploring the effect from a cognitive psychology perspective.
My research journal is at the website link I’ve left - most of the posts are public, and you’re welcome to read and comment.
posted by Stephanie Gray on 6-14-2007 at 12:31 am
Perhaps this response evolved so that we wouldn’t be carnally attracted to our fellow-hominids, the Neanderthals?
posted by Mark on 6-14-2007 at 10:44 am
The uncanny valley is a big deal with high end video game developers… as the graphics get better and processing power increases, they’re finding that consumers are having a similar reaction to highly detailed computer generated characters.
There’s a number of things they’re trying to do to get them on the other side of that trough… last I read (don’t ask me where, I don’t remember) they’ve been working on replicating more natural eye and lip movements, and facial imperfections and emotions to try to try and cross that gap…
posted by Jason! on 6-14-2007 at 1:17 pm
Jason’s comment about natural eye & lip movements makes me think of some real people I know; something is just not right with the way they look, and they give me the creeps.
The movie “Monster House” was made using the same techniques as were used to make “Polar Express”, and I didn’t have the same “eeww” reaction to the Monster House characters. Probably because the characters were more cartoonish. They differed enough from real people that your mind doesn’t pull the same trick on you.
posted by Dave on 6-14-2007 at 7:12 pm
The robot is scarier, but not as scary as Michael Jackson, whom she resembles.
posted by Barbara on 6-14-2007 at 10:11 pm
Ooooohhhhh, so this is why I find those sort of semi-animated things in that stock brokerage commericial so…eeeuuuch. Does anybody know whay I’m talking about? Anybody else weirded out?
posted by Allison on 6-15-2007 at 4:11 pm
The stock brokerage commercial animations are traced over actual actors, and I find them creepy too. I can’t say that the robot footage bothers me though; maybe because I know what it is. If the robot was wandering around in public, my reaction might be different.
I don’t remember anyone ever reacting negatively to Disney’s Hall of Presidents, and the robots there are pretty realistic (although with limited movement).
posted by Hank on 6-17-2007 at 11:02 am
Perhaps this would explain some people’s fear of clowns and/or ventriloquist dummies?
posted by Tru on 6-18-2007 at 11:19 am
Part of it, I think, is that sometimes they’re just too perfect. They look too perfect, I mean. The movements and voice on that first one weren’t quite right. It’s eerie, in some way.
posted by Pointy-Hatted Geek on 6-18-2007 at 5:26 pm