Why the Uncanny Valley Theory Is Uncanny
View original text in Korean What is the uncanny valley theory? As robots become more and more similar to humans, the liking that humans feel toward robots increases, but when it reaches a certain point, it suddenly changes into a strong dislike. However, when the robot's appearance and behavior become almost indistinguishable from that of a human, likability increases again and approaches the level of emotions that humans feel toward humans. ( Wikipedia ) (A scene from The Polar Express) My understanding is that when a robot mimics a human, humans perceive it as a kind of threat and are instinctively offended. Then, when they become too similar, they become unable to tell the difference and end up accepting them as human beings. Contents of Criticism Some roboticists are severely criticizing this theory, saying that the rightmost part of Mori's graph is unfounded because it is only recently that human-like robots have become technically feasible. “It’s completely p...