Android Robots and Uncanny Valley

Scientists in Japan are working on human like robots (Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University).  There is a theory in android robotics that as robots increase in human like appearance, people's emotional response to them becomes more positive, until some point at which they are too close to human characteristics but something just doesn't seem quite right.  At this point people are repulsed by them.  Then at some point beyond that their characteristics become undistinguishable from humans and people's response becomes positive again just like for any human being.  This theory of human emotional response to androids is reffered to as the uncanny valley.  Current androids are probably at the bottom of the uncanny valley curve, but scientists are working hard to improve them.  Children are most perceptive of the uncanny valley.  There is an interesting article in Electronic Design magazine about androids and Dr. Ishiguro's work [1].


[1] Harris, Daniel. June 28, 2006. "Will Androids Become a Part of our Everyday Lives? Japanese Scientists are Betting on It." ED Online ID #12963. [Internet, WWW, HTML] Available: Available in HTML format; Address: http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&AD=1&ArticleID=12963. [ Accessed July 29 2006].