Abstract
The uncanny valley theory proposed by Mori has been heavily investigated in the recent years by researchers from various fields. However, the videos and images used in these studies did not permit any human interaction with the uncanny objects. Therefore, in the field of human-robot interaction it is still unclear what, if any, impact an uncanny-looking robot will have in the context of an interaction. In this paper we describe an exploratory empirical study using a live interaction paradigm that involved repeated interactions with robots that differed in embodiment and their attitude toward a human. We found that both investigated components of the uncanniness (likeability and eeriness) can be affected by an interaction with a robot. Likeability of a robot was mainly affected by its attitude and this effect was especially prominent for a machine-like robot. On the other hand, merely repeating interactions was sufficient to reduce eeriness irrespective of a robot's embodiment. As a result we urge other researchers to investigate Mori's theory in studies that involve actual human-robot interaction in order to fully understand the changing nature of this phenomenon.
Highlights
The uncanny valley theory was originally presented by Mori (1970) in relation to a prosthetic arm
Likeability First, we looked at the likeability and in particular how a robot’s attitude can affect it in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)
In this study we investigated the effect of repeated interactions and a robot’s attitude on the uncanny valley phenomenon using a live interaction paradigm
Summary
The uncanny valley theory was originally presented by Mori (1970) in relation to a prosthetic arm. The uncanny valley hypothesis suggests a non-linear relationship between a robot’s anthropomorphism and affinity. It proposes that by increasing humanlikeness of appearance of a robot we can increase affinity with it. When a robot’s appearance becomes a nearly perfect human representation, but is still distinguishable from it, people’s emotional reaction instantly becomes strongly negative. Once the appearance of a robot becomes indistinguishable from a real human, the affinity with it reaches its optimum at the same level as for human beings. Mori suggested that movement of a prosthetic arm compared with a static arm will amplify the emotional response
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