Member-only story
The Creepy Middle Ground: Exploring the Uncanny Valley Phenomenon
The uncanny valley is a phenomenon that occurs when an artificial or animated object appears almost but not quite human, causing feelings of revulsion and discomfort in the viewer.
The concept of the “uncanny valley” was first introduced by roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970. The theory suggests that as robots or other human-like creations become more realistic, they will become more appealing and relatable to humans, up to a point. However, once they become too similar to humans, but still not quite perfect, they become eerie and unnerving. This is known as the “uncanny valley” — the point at which the resemblance is so close, but not quite perfect, that it creates a feeling of revulsion in humans.
The idea of the uncanny valley has been explored in various fields, from robotics to CGI animation and even psychology. It is thought to occur because our brains are wired to quickly identify and react to human-like features in our environment, but we also have an instinctual aversion to things that are not quite right or familiar. When a robot or animated character is almost human-like, but not quite, it can trigger this aversion and make us feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
