The Uncanny Valley

OK, so it's not very functional. But at least the form factor is right!

Actually, the Fembot video was chosen to illustrate how difficult it is to create an android that isn't instantly recognizable as such. Now, compare her to Geminoid, the android clone of roboticist Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro.

That's pretty impressive. At least for a few seconds, you could almost mistake it for a human.

The strikingly realistic robot has since been met largely with wonder and admiration, which could mark success for Ishiguro in more ways than the obvious. Although Ishiguro's earlier android projects were only a little less realistic, they tended to disturb viewers. This is consistent with a 1970 hypothesis by Dr. Masahiro Mori, another Japanese roboticist. Although not yet well-investigated by science, Mori's "Uncanny Valley" theory holds that as a simulation of a human being's appearance and/or motion becomes increasingly accurate, there is very suddenly a point at which humans' interest in the creation turns into utter repulsion.

Robots that are clearly machines but display humanlike qualities are percieved as "cute" - R2D2 comes to mind - while robots that first appear to be human but give subtle cues they are machines, are percieved as "creepy". Dr. Ishiguruo's effort is to create a robot sufficently lifelike to pass beyond the Uncanny Valley and be accepted by humans, fostering a world where humans and androids will work together.

More on this at Damn Interesting.