The Uncanny Valley

In 1970, a researcher in robotics, Masahiro Mori, introduced in 1970 the hypothesis of the “Uncanny Valley,” which describes the human emotional reactions versus the degree of realism of a virtual character or robot.

Here are some examples : If we were to create a robot like R2D2, it would be immediately accepted as it is - the fact that it has no real emotion is not a problem. However, the more we enrich a character making them look realistic, an emotional relationship develops. This progression however comes to a stop as soon as we approach a clear resemblance. The puppets we see at puppet shows or at the theatre or in children’s programmes are very much enjoyed as visually accepted, however when we are dealing with virtual characters and especially those who are made to look as realistic as possible, we are often left confused and troubled by the result.

This theory has been highly contested by many robot specialists, who believe that the Uncanny Valley is not based on any type of scientific theory and is above all a cultural influence rather than a reality that is applicable to everyone. Nevertheless, when faced with the reaction of spectators who are confronted with the first 3D characters, the film industry consider the “Uncanny Valley” as a reference in order to be able to better evaluate the general public’s reaction..