Not Human Enough: The Origins of the Uncanny Valley

Abstract

Why do we feel creeped out when we see something almost human—like a lifelike robot or a bad CGI character? This phenomenon, known as the uncanny valley, describes the uncomfortable emotional response humans experience when encountering entities that appear nearly, but not quite, human. First introduced by Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori in 1970, the concept suggests that as objects become more humanlike in appearance, our emotional response to them becomes increasingly positive —until reaching a point where subtle imperfections trigger strong feelings of revulsion