The uncanny valley refers to a specific response some people experience in response to human-like robots, computer-generated characters, and other objects that are nearly identical to natural human beings but not quite. This response can range from mild unease to strong feelings of revulsion.
The term 'uncanny valley' was first used by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in a 1970 article. Mori coined the phrase to describe the relationship between the human-like appearance of a robotic object and the response it evokes. He initially called it bukimi no taninhotei, meaning 'strangeness of a valley' in Japanese. In 1978, the term was translated into English as 'uncanny valley' by author J.G. de Grasse in the book "Robots: Fiction and Reality."
Some well-known examples of the uncanny valley include:
There are a number of proposed explanations for why people experience the uncanny valley effect, but there is no consensus on the exact cause. Some potential factors include:
Formal empirical research on the uncanny valley began in the mid-2000s. Some studies have supported the existence of the effect, although findings on how and why it happens are mixed.
The uncanny valley has a number of applications in various fields, including:
It is possible to prevent the uncanny valley effect by carefully designing robots and other human-like objects to avoid features that may trigger feelings of unease or disgust. This can be done by paying attention to factors such as:
The uncanny valley is a complex and fascinating phenomenon that is still being studied by researchers. While there is still much that we do not understand about the effect, it has significant implications for the development of robots, virtual reality, and other technologies that interact with humans.