zaterdag, november 01, 2008

Animatronics getting crazier

Ever heard of the phenomenon known as the "uncanny valley"? No? It refers to this >> If a robot is clearly a robot - you know, with clunky metal limbs & stuff (like this Dutch robot) - people are rarely troubled by it. But pass a certain threshold in realism, such as giving it skin or a human-like voice, and things start getting eerie. Kinda like the feeling you get when watching the video above. This particular animatronic face was produced at the University of Bristol, UK, by US roboticist David Hanson.
Read all about it here.