Posted 07.11.2012 at 5:05 pm
15 Comments
Escaping the Uncanny Valley with FACE
via New Scientist
The “uncanny valley” principle--the idea that when robots (or politicians) look human but not quite realistic enough, it makes real humans terribly uncomfortable--is a persistent problem for roboticists pursuing realistic humanoid robots. But research also shows that the uncanny valley effect can be somewhat mitigated by making the robotic more attractive and lifelike. To that end, Italian roboticists have created FACE, a realistic humanoid bust designed to closely mimic the many facial expressions our facial muscles are capable of.
FACE is powered by what’s known as the Hybrid Engine for Facial Expressions Synthesis, or HEFES, which commands the 32 motors placed under FACE’s polymer skin to manipulate it in the same ways human facial muscles do. HEFES creates not only facial expressions based on the Facial Action Coding System (which is a real thing that actually categorizes facial expressions based on real muscle movements), but also transitions between those expressions. So it allows a user to choose any facial expression, or any “emotional space” between two or more emotions.
This supposedly makes FACE more lifelike, and therefor more palatable to us humans. Personally, I’m still a little uncomfortable here, but you can judge for yourself via the video below.
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Is it just me or does it always look like its taking a really big dump?
Hey, that's pretty good! Now they just need to make it able to switch between expressions faster.
Side note, but who on earth chose the music for that video? It was awful.
Close, but it looks like they missed the uncanny valley and kind of landed in the ugly valley.
Goodness gracious, she looks like Alan Rickman. If I were to judge how well this automaton does at escaping the Uncanny Valley, I would have to say... Twenty points from Slytherin!
Nope, most definitely still extremely creepy.
The Italian robotic engineering folk, really need to touch base with the Japanese robotic engineering folk. This face is angry, odd and creepy! Oh and the USA robotic folk robotics often tend to be on the ugly side too.
I guess an ugly face is the least of the technical problems, lol.
You know whats uncanny, and just plain weird? The music accompanying the video.
Where's the O face
They really need to get away from the "I just got a barb-wire suppository" default expression. The other half of the time it looks like it needs to sneeze.
All that considered, It is still slightly less creepy than the majority of the japanese fembots.
@Mind967 Your O face seems to be at 00:20
Looks like a Tranny bot...lol
lol @ oiboy630
no sexy face? i guess it would be kinda difficult with that face.. ugly as almost everyone has said..
not sure without a google search, but rpetty sure I've seen other likelike robots with similar capabilities (but prettier) elsewhere online.
Butt ugly robot and in that makes it less marketable. If your going to all the effort to make it human, make it attractive, make it cute, make it approacheable. This thing face just repulses me.
I suppose if it greats sales people at the front of your door of your home, it could be a good thing!
'.... greets sales people..."
Thing needs an exorcist
Well if my hot girlfriend turned out to be a bot I wouldn't leave her for it, but that's assuming a lot from a bot.