The Uncanny Valley
Transcription
The Uncanny Valley
The Uncanny Valley Talk by Daniel Mewes (http://danielmewes.de) Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary “uncanny”? ● Synonyms: unfamiliar, eerie, strange, bizarre, abnormal, alien, creepy, horrible1 1: MacDorman, Ishiguro: The uncanny advantage of using androids in cognitive and social science research The Uncanny Valley The Uncanny Valley The Uncanny Valley Uncanny Valley The Uncanny Valley The Uncanny Valley Why human-like robots nonetheless? ● Richer interaction (social, emotional) ● Immediately familiar ● Potential applications: – Product marketing on exhibitions – Salesperson, receptionist – Nurse for children, elders, sick people – Social science research Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary Our goal ● Goal: Improve human likeness ● But how to improve exactly? Incremental design ● How to get insights? – Build an android – Commit studies to gain insights – Build improved android – Commit studies... – ... Perform study Improved design Build android New insight Incremental design ● How to get insights? – Build an android – Commit studies to gain insights – Build improved android – Commit studies... – ➔ ➔ Perform study Improved design ... Better understanding of human perception (for social science) Better androids! Build android New insight Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary 1. Appearance ● Advantage of using androids: – Appearance can be altered without affecting other aspects (behavior, movement etc.) – Factors are orthogonal in studies! Movement Appearance 1. Appearance 1: MacDorman, Ishiguro: The uncanny advantage of using androids in cognitive and social science research Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary 2. Movement ● Movement is vital for human likeness: – Experiment: 2 seconds exposure of an android1 ● ● Static android: considered as human by 23% Moving android: considered as human by 70% 1: Ishiguro (2005): Android science: Toward a new cross-disciplinary framework 2. Movement ● However: interdependence with appearance – Experiment: eye-fixation test with android reaching for a cup1 ● ● Human like appearance: mostly treated like a human Same movement, but artificial skin removed: treated like an object 1: Minato et al. (2004): Evaluating humanlikeness by comparing responses elicited by an android and a person 2. Movement ● Example: “Repliee” series 2003: Repliee Q1 2005: Repliee Q2 2006: Actroid DER2 2. Movement ● Example: “Repliee” series ● Repliee Q1 (2003) 2. Movement ● Example: “Repliee” series ● Repliee Q1 (2003) ● Repliee Q2 (2005) Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary 3. Interaction ● Example: Repliee Q2 has sensors to find out where people are1 – Used to make eye contact – Important for being perceived natural 1: MacDorman, Ishiguro: The uncanny advantage of using androids in cognitive and social science research, p. 315 3. Interaction ● Example: “Geminoid” android Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary Alternative approach ● ● Goal of incremental approach is maximization of human likeness Is this desirable at all? Alternative approach ● ● Really hard to achieve near 100% human likeness! “I recommend designers take the first peak as the goal in building robots rather than the second.”1 1: Masahiro Mori: The Uncanny Valley (1970) Alternative approach ● Example: “All is Full of Love” music video Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary Explanations ● Why does the Uncanny Valley exist? – Goal: Psychological explanation – Androids may help to find out! Study: distal defenses ● ● Idea: reminders of death induce distal defense in humans Do the same mechanisms apply for eerie human like androids? Study: distal defenses ● 63 participants ● Experimental and control group ● Four steps: – Pictures – Political speeches (one charismatic) – Foreign students (praise / criticize country) – Word puzzles Study: distal defenses Study: distal defenses Political speech Foreign student Explanation 1 ● Distal defense study suggests: – Uncanny valley caused by association with death – Humans don't like feeling of being confronted to / reminded of death Explanation 2 ● ● Alternative explanation: Violation of expectation – Human like look implies far reaching expectations about behavior – Subtle breaks of these expectations -> eerie feeling – Subconscious conclusion: behavioral norms and assumptions do not apply anymore -> loss of control over situation! (my interpretation) A few more (often untested) explanations exist Overview ● Uncanny Valley ● Application to HCI – Appearance – Movement – Interaction ● Alternative approach ● (Explanations) ● Summary Summary ● ● ● When reaching high human-likeness, there is a point where familiarity dramatically drops because of subtle “mistakes” “Incremental” design for better androids and more insights Alternatively: design not-too-human-like robots intentionally to circumvent Uncanny Valley Sources ● Studies and general information – – ● Pictures – – – – – – – ● K. F. MacDorman, Hiroshi Ishiguro (2006): The uncanny advantage of using androids in cognitive and social science research M. Mori (1970): Bukimi no tani Kokoro Company Ltd. M. Mori (1970): Bukimi no tani Sony http://www.ferret.com.au http://www.cnet.com Associated Press Various... Videos – Hanson Robotics – Kokoro Company – Björk / One Little Indian (label)