The Uncanny Valley: Why Does it Give Us the Creeps?

T. Shibata. Proceedings of the IEEE 92, 1749-1758 (2004).

Have you ever seen robots that look almost human, but obviously aren't? These almost-human robots may give you the creeps or make you feel uneasy. This psychological phenomenon is called the Uncanny Valley. It's pretty unsettling and I'll explain why that is.

The term "Uncanny Valley" was coined by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970. His hypothesis was as the appearance of a robot is made more human, some observers' emotional response to the robot becomes increasingly positive until it reaches a point. Beyond this point, the human response quickly becomes repulsive. As the robot's appearance continues to become more and more like a human being, the emotional response becomes positive again and approaches higher empathy levels.

There have been many debates regarding whether or not this phenomenon is real. Many scientists believe that this is a vague theory, while some people believe a slightly altered version of Mori's hypothesis. For the people who believe the phenomenon exists, they have been trying to pinpoint reasons why it happens. One big theory is that repulsiveness is caused by differences between our expectations of what a human should look like and the reality of what we see. Another theory is that the uncanny valley is caused by our fear of the unknown. When we see something that is almost human, it can trigger our fear of the unfamiliar. The most evolution-based theory is that humans view these almost-human robots as unnatural and can trigger ideas related to disease since humans are programmed to favor those that are healthy. 

Whatever the reason is, it is fair to say that this phenomenon is nothing short of fascinating and highlights the complexities of humans' emotional responses to their surroundings. As robotics continues to advance, it is important to approach these new technologies with an open mind. Robots have the potential to change our world for the better, and we should not let our fears prevent us from exploring this potential.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/uncanny-valley