Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori devised the concept of the 'uncanny valley' in 1970. It's the point at which a robot is made to appear so human-like -- if not quite human enough-- that it inspires feelings of uneasiness and revulsion in we mere mortals. In other words, humanoid robots really give us the creeps. (Remember the Black Mirrorepisode Be Right Back?)
But as androids are being developed to be more and more lifelike, copying human gestures, body language and even speech, our simultaneous fascination/horror at the world of uncannily human-like robotics shows no signs of slowing down.
So sit back and try to relax (or, at least, not squirm in too much horror) as you watch our round up of these mesmerisingly uncanny androids.
Erica
Created by Uncanny Valley robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro, Erica android is one of the most unnervingly human yet created. Not only can she speak and move, but she can also mimic human body language with disconcertingly accurate facility. Smiling, blinking, grimacing, turning her head as she speaks -- you could easily be forgiven for mistaking her for a sentient mortal if you squinted a bit. But, of course, the very fact that Erica falls short of being entirely convincing is what makes her all the more strange. She was showcased at Japan's Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo in August 2015. But it might not be too long before Erica and her mechanical brethren make an appearance a little closer to home.
Jules
Designed and built by Hanson Robotics Inc., Jules is a conversational character robot with a gleamingly bald head and the stilted voice of an English gentleman. A sophisticated AI creation, he's made from a pliable, lightweight material called Frubber, which enables him to expressively move his face just like a real human. Jules can also boast of having a "statistically perfect face" -- which not many of us mere mortals can lay claim to. He's also capable of having a "natural, interactive" conversation if you're so inclined. And Jules isn't alone. Creator David Hanson has modelled an entire family of humanoids, including Alice, Han and -- in honour of the great physicist himself – the Albert Einstein Hubo.
Actroid-F and Kurokawa
Kurokawa was created by robotics firm Kokoro and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) as a "brother" for their original -- if not quite as "humanly" named -- Actroid-F. These super-realistic humanoid siblings are able to have a conversation with each other, and use their range of 12 facial expressions to indicate their reactions to the world around them. They can also imitate the movements of the people they're watching. After being successfully trialled in hospitals to see how patients felt in their presence ("only three or four people" out of 70 apparently felt uncomfortable with having them around"), AIST plans to employ the robots in other socially useful ways, including talking to elderly people to help prevent mental decline, and interacting with children who have developmental problems.
Philip K. Dick
Perhaps it was inevitable that the ultimate in unsettling humanoids would be an AI recreation of maverick sci-fi visionary Philip K. Dick. A dead ringer for the late, great novelist himself (well, if you ignore the mesh of wires sprouting from the back of the synthetic brain in his head), you can watch him muse on everything from Cartesian philosophy to how he picks up new words. The next question to ask him? Do androids dream of electric sheep, surely?
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
