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Tussauds-Designed Robots

Use the experts to overcome the uncanny valley
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We currently tend to have creepy gynoids and androids, and it seems very difficult to design sufficiently humanoid machines, so they fall into the uncanny valley and freak lots of people out. However, we have wax museums where the figures are so life-like that they can be impossible to distinguish from humans. Moreover, it isn't even a cutting- edge, new technique to make an inanimate object which looks like a human. Sculptors have been doing it for millenia. They've even been making humanoid automata for centuries.

My proposal, therefore, is very simple: design automata in collaboration with artists who are used to making things which look like humans.

What am I missing here?

nineteenthly, Jul 30 2016

Oculus Lip Sync plugin for Unity http://www.roadtovr...plugin-for-unity-5/
[theircompetitor, Jul 30 2016]

Veeso headset uses eyeshape (probably) to animate face https://www.kicksta...irtual-reality-head
[theircompetitor, Jul 31 2016]

[link]






       I'm not sure if more humanlike appearance would bring oids out the other side of the uncanny valley. It might work as long as they are standing still, but until we can also emulate human movement - and particularly facial expression - this wouldn't work for animated oids.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 30 2016
  

       // they fall into the uncanny valley and freak lots of people out. //   

       Don't drag Tony Blair into this.   

       // the figures are so life-like that they can be impossible to distinguish from humans. //   

       That's the trick, isn't it ? It's obvious that Trump is animatronic, whereas they've had decades to perfect Hilary ...   

       // Moreover, it isn't even a cutting- edge, new technique to make an inanimate object which looks like a human. //   

       It can be done the other way round, too - it worked for Bruce Forsyth.   

       // What am I missing here? //   

       SkyNet, and liquid metal ...
8th of 7, Jul 30 2016
  

       The distinguishing feature of all robots is that they have the appearances and mannerisms of dead famous people, a conjuction which makes their unnatural and inhumane qualities acceptable in our celebrity obsessed culture. After all, who is going to object to a Doorman Mao, or Marilyn Monrover.
WcW, Jul 30 2016
  

       By that measure, it would be fine to have a Dustman Bieber.
8th of 7, Jul 30 2016
  

       I'm dealing with the uncanny valley all the time when we're generating avatars (different than autonomous robots, of course). We randomize the face shape with a range of parameters, add blinking and lip motion. Adding true lip synching and some face motion helps a lot, but of course anything human like is truly challenging, which is why many in VR are still opting for cartoon like avatars. Ultimately, accurate micro muscle face motion solves most of the problem
theircompetitor, Jul 30 2016
  

       // solves most of the problem //   

       Can it pass the Voight-Kampff test yet ?   

       Could you describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about … your mother ?
8th of 7, Jul 30 2016
  

       flapping actually works quite nicely for most things, but perhaps not if you want to whisper sweet nothings with your virtual girlfriend. I've linked an Oculus "real" lip synch plugin, there's competing work out there as well.   

       [8th] if I get to the point of worrying about this test I'll have nothing else to worry about :)
theircompetitor, Jul 30 2016
  

       I was once standing still in a museum and another visitor mistook me for a waxwork.
pocmloc, Jul 30 2016
  

       So that decision to tile the cube was a mistake, then? Also, how are the hanging baskets standing up to the hot weather?
MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 30 2016
  

       So All that is left to do to have useful animated companions, is to pretty them up a bit?   

       Fast food restaurants will soon replace more of their workers with bots.   

       The food will contain warnings like: May contain trivial amounts of robot elbow grease and/or makeup.
popbottle, Jul 30 2016
  

       Maybe a distinctive facial marking (shimmering circuitry etc) would be enough to set the humanoid apart as to remove the creepiness.   

       My question is why copy human form? It's a blank slate.
wjt, Jul 30 2016
  

       The simpler solution is to train TV presenters to use simple lip-flapping when talking. After a while it will be accepted as normal.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 31 2016
  
      
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