Should humanoid robots look ‘human’?
Most examples of #humanoidrobots in the public domain look (in some cases freakishly) ‘human’ whilst others (like Optimus from Tesla) are ‘faceless’.
This is related to the phenomenon known as the “uncanny valley” – if something looks human-like but not believably so, it becomes unnerving, creepy, and even frightening.
In some circumstances, if a #robot is too human-like, it will put off humans it engages and interacts with.
It’s this phenomenon that #humanoidrobot #designers and #engineers need to be mindful of .. especially when considering what function or purpose the #humanoids will serve.
To promote acceptance and use of “social robots” (or “care robots”) the application of lifelike design features has been established as a promising design principle.
The majority of research to date emphasises a high degree of anthropomorphism (human-like traits) with respect to robot appearance and communication to support positive perceptions of robots.
Learn more about the ‘uncanny valley’ in my book “Chapter 4 — Robots, Replicants & Surrogates”.
A preview of the chapter is available below 👇
#engineeringexcellence #ai #robots #robotsforhumans #SocialRobots #CareRobots #SocietalAI
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