Another lifelike robot is striking horror into the hearts of humans.
NamedAmeca, the android can convey an impressive range of facial gestures and people are freaking out.
Whenever a machine shows another human-like capability, fromdancingtospeaking, it sparks fears of robot uprisings.
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These anxieties are somewhat misplaced.
Why are people are more disturbed by robots that blink than combat drones andAI machine guns?
Its not the most rational priority, but there are a few good reasons for the fervor.
Hollywood brainwashing
Do you remember a movie about a killer humanoid?
Of course you do there are hundreds of them.
A number of these fictional machines have been compared to Ameca.
How it will end:pic.twitter.com/auW7i3Zkv4
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These depictions shape our imaginations, but they arent necessarily realistic.
If Hollywood wanted to prepare us for real threats, wed see more robot swarms and combat drones.
Yet these dont make for characters as memorable as Terminators and Robocops.
When they become almost, but not quite human, our response turns to revulsion.
This dip is known as the uncanny valley.
The hypothesis is still debated, but the effect has been observed instudies of real-world robots.
This neurological response could explain the fearful reactions to Ameca.
However, we may not always be creeped out by humanoids.
Mori believes that when robots become truly human-like, our acceptance of them will increase.
Humanoids are improving
Studies showthat were more likely to accept anthropomorphic robots that can convey emotional expressions.
This impetus and the rapid speed oftechnological advancesis making androids increasingly human-like.
When footage of these machines circulates online, stunned reactions are inevitable.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
