What is the uncanny valley effect and how to avoid it

Shrek is a cult cartoon loved by millions of viewers around the world. But at the test screening, instead of laughter in the hall were heard children's screams and cries. The little spectators were terrified by Princess Fiona: the heroine was drawn very believably, but her emotions and facial expressions were not always similar to human ones. So that children can enjoy the picture without panicking, before the release of the tape, the drawing was made more cartoonish. So the creators got rid of the effect of the "uncanny valley".

What is the "uncanny valley" effect?

The hypothesis about the existence of such a phenomenon was put forward by the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori. In 1970, in an essay for Energy magazine, he suggestedthat people feel sympathy for robots, toys and other objects similar to them. But only up to a certain point. When the inanimate takes on too many human traits, there can be excitement,

fear and anxiety.

Mori's personal experience prompted such reasoning. He is from childhood was afraid wax figures of people, and when scientists began to create mechanized prosthetic hands, he experienced a similar feeling for them. To demonstrate his Mori hypothesis painted a line graph that compares the relationship between the similarity of various objects with a person and the level of sympathy for them.

• The curve begins to grow from the zero point, industrial robots are approximately at the start. People have little sympathy for them, because they only take away the functions of a person, but do not repeat him visually.
• The curve grows, with robotic toys and not-too-believable androids like C-3PO from Star Wars. People like them a little more.
• Then the "uncanny valley" begins - a zone from which entities can disturb. The curve here goes down, at some point the level of sympathy becomes negative. Prosthetics, puppets, theatrical masks and realistic humanoid robots fall into this zone. Here Mori carried the corpses of people and zombie.
• Behind the danger zone is a real living person. In theory, some very high-quality and most plausible android can get there, but so far they have not been created yet.

There are no digital avatars and CGI characters from movies and games on the graphics, because it was drawn a long time ago. But the effect of the "uncanny valley" is also applicable to them - and the story of the "Shrek" that frightened the children is not the only proof of this. For example, the film "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" 2001 also forced viewers to get nervous: the facial expressions of the heroine there did not go well with photorealistic animation.

After the publication of the unusual hypothesis was simply ignored. The essay was about humanoid robots, and in the 70s this direction was unpopular: no one was interested in understanding the principles of creating androids. Attention to Mori's work was shown only in the 21st century, at the same time they decided to try to prove the effect of the "uncanny valley". Research carried out, for example, in Canada, the USA and Finland. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the mere resemblance to a person is not enough for the appearance of the "uncanny valley" effect.

What makes humanoid creatures scary

By themselves, androids, controlled puppets or photorealistic characters are not always scary. In a static position, they are more likely to cause fear in those who already have the appropriate phobias. For anxiety to arise in most people, something more serious is needed - non-standard behavior or signs for a person.

• Mimic. Both too active, like unreasonably bulging eyes or a wide-open mouth, and lean or inhibited. In 2014, British scientists using an experiment checked, how it works. Children aged 9 to 11 were alternately shown videos of real people and CGI faces. Among the latter were fully animated, and those in which the eyebrows, forehead and eyes remained motionless. Characters with partial facial expressions, the children considered especially strange and unfriendly. A completely motionless face can also be read as an alarm by the brain if the humanoid is moving or talking.
• mechanical speech. Interference, synthetic sound or echo, like sounds coming from a pipe. By the way, the reverse situation may also be possible: an insufficiently believable robot with a human voice, too able scare.
• Unnatural movements of the limbs. Cutting climb hands, knees that do not bend when walking, a head that turns 180 degrees.
• Strange combinations of traits.Appearance in the behavior or appearance of something characteristic not of a person, but of other beings. For example, merging with an animal, as in the film adaptation of the musical "Cats" in 2019: it is not for nothing that the film has six figurines with the Golden Raspberry Award.

Some researchers also assumedthat the effect should rather be called not a valley, but a cliff or a wall, because the rejection of a humanoid entity occurs abruptly, and not gradually. Any minor change can make such a character disgusting, after which sympathy for him will fall down as if from a steep cliff.

Where do anxiety and worry come from?

The effect of the "uncanny valley" has not yet been studied and proven to the end. And there is no consensus on the nature of the reaction among researchers. However, there are several hypotheses about what generates unpleasant experiences.

1. Difficulties with identification

When we meet someone or something new, the brain analyzes this is what he tries to attribute to some familiar category. The humanoid entity is capable of confusing him. External signs say that this is a living person, and the behavior makes one doubt. Inside the brain debates begin, which result in psychological discomfort.

2. Fear of the unknown

It is difficult for us to imagine how an unfamiliar entity will behave and whether it will be friendly. Because of this arise natural tension and feeling of fear. With such a reaction of the brain often play horror movie makers by adding humanoid antagonists, such as the Slenderman, the Annabelle doll, or the clown from It, to the plots.

3. Lack of empathy

To experience it, a person needs to understand the emotions and motives of another. But count them with a robot can be tricky. As a result becomes anxious and uncomfortable.

The humanoid entities themselves are also not capable of empathy, and this valid repulsive to people. And again there is a fear of the unknown: if someone does not react to actions or words in the usual way, then in other cases he may behave inappropriately.

4. Fear of death

Mori himself spoke about this nature of the “uncanny valley” effect. Supposedthat a person can perceive an inanimate, but self-like entity as something dead or dying. Therefore, the brain is able to consider it a potential source of disease or simply something unpleasant and repulsive.

How to avoid the "uncanny valley" effect

Inventors of robots and creators of computer charts it is important that androids or characters on the screen are not intimidating and repulsive, because the commercial success of the product depends on their attractiveness. To do this, you can choose one of two ways.

1. Abandon photographic accuracy

One of the first studies of the "uncanny valley" effect says that sometimes disgust and horror can be connected with poor-quality design - the entity simply poorly depicts a person. It is not necessary to strive to bring the appearance of a robot or character to a perfect copy: they can cope with their functions, even if they look abstract or cartoonish.

Let's say a Japanese robot Pepper, which was proposed to be used as an assistant in the office or public places, resembles a person only partially: he has a torso, arms, a head, and wheels instead of legs. At the same time, the "body" is not covered with cyberskin - it is glossy and white. And on the “face” there are no nose and eyebrows - they are compensated by large eyes. By the way, people consider big-eyed creatures are extremely cute.

This also works with CGI graphics. For example, avatars in the metaverse, characters in The Sims games, or cartoon characters Pixar do not copy the appearance of real people completely and therefore do not cause rejection.

2. Try to overcome the zone of dislike

This method is more difficult. The entity must be so similar to a person that the brain does not notice the difference and perceives the object as its relative. It is necessary to bring to the ideal both appearance and movements. And in the design, materials and textures should be used as close as possible to reality.

There are no androids that have crossed the valley yet. Although the robot Sofia, who can analyze the behavior and emotions of the interlocutor with the help of AI, has approached the border. But CGI has success. So, it is difficult to distinguish from real people some digital influencers who appear in advertising campaigns and maintain social media accounts, for example, Rozy or Imma. Their digital background doesn't stop them from looking friendly and connecting with hundreds of thousands of followers.