Tag Archives: Creepy Robots

Meet Nadine, a social robot designed by Professor Nadia Thalmann of Nanyang Technological University.

The uncanny valley can be a terrifying place – a place of strange dolls, unsettling computer animation, and people who just look off. But how deep does the valley go? I think I may have found the bottom.

Originally coined by Masahiro Mori in 1970, the term “uncanny valley” describes our strange revulsion toward things that appear nearly human, but not quite right. This revulsion usually involves robots, but can also include computer animations and some medical conditions.

Make no mistake: The Walt Disney Company may have begun as a simple animation studio, but these days it’s at the forefront of a variety of innovative technologies. Namely, Autonomatronics. They’ve already developed some shockingly realistic skin for their robots, and now they’re taking humanoid robot development one step forward ...

They look human. They even act human. But something’s not quite right. The Uncanny Valley is a term used to describe the feeling of revulsion caused when a human being encounters a robot that seems human, but doesn’t quite cut it. It’s that area between an obvious or stylized robot ...

I’m a big fan of robots. Or, you know, of dismantling them and setting them on fire. I just stumbled upon this video of Tara the Android, though. Perhaps she’ll help me better accept our robot cousins. Turn over a new leaf, that sort thing. Never mind.