What is the Uncanny Valley Theory?
The Uncanny Valley Theory is an idea held by some people who specialize in robotics. According to the theory, the more human-like a robot becomes, the more people are drawn to it, until it crosses a line and becomes almost human, stimulating a response of fear, horror, or revulsion. According to proponents of the Uncanny Valley Theory, the theory suggests that the applications of robots could be limited by this response. However, this theory is not universally accepted, and additional research is definitely needed. The theory was proposed by Masahiro Mori, a Japanese robotics expert, in 1970. He referenced the idea that robots would probably someday have an uncanny resemblance to human beings, and that this resemblance might cause people to feel uneasy or upset when interacting with such a robot. The idea is that in a robot which is almost human, non-human traits become glaringly obvious, creating cognitive dissonance in humans interacting with the robot. By contrast, in a robot which
