May 25 2006

Text By Greg Fallis

Welcome to the Uncanny Valley.

There is a principle in robotics that states that the emotional reaction of humans to a robot (or any humanoid representation) depends on the degree to which the robot appears "human-like." The more human-like, the more positive the emotional response. Up to a point.

That point is called the Uncanny Valley. When the appearance is almost but not quite human, the positive emotional response plummets and is replaced by a sense of uneasiness...even repulsion. The mimicry becomes monstrous, the familiar turns disturbing. As we stare into the near-human eyes, they stare back...and we wonder if they're experiencing the same horror we are.

But we cannot stop looking. We're deep in the Uncanny Valley and our traitor eyes remain open and we cannot cannot stop looking.