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Sloan WhyBridgeTheUncannyValley Author 2012
Sloan WhyBridgeTheUncannyValley Author 2012
Robin Sloan
) N RECENT YEARS THE 5NCANNY 6ALLEY
THEORY HAS BEEN USED TO FRAME CRITICAL
ANALYSIS OF HYPER
REAL CHARACTER ANIMATION
CONCERNED WITH WOWING THEIR AUDIENCES
WITH PHOTOREALISTIC CHARACTER APPEARANCE
AND MOVEMENT OTHER CHARACTER ANIMATORS
The uncanny valley and the quest
for photorealism
4HE NOTION OF @REALISM IN COMPUTER
IN BOTH l LM AND COMPUTER GAMES 4HE ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH EXPLORING WHAT GENERATED IMAGERY #') HAS LONG BEEN
THEORY PREDICTS THAT AS CHARACTERS BECOME IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN )NDEED IT CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH PHOTOREALISM !S $ARLEY;=
MORE HUMAN
LIKE IN APPEARANCE THEY ARGUED THAT IMAGINED CHARACTERS THAT ARE NOTES THE AESTHETICS OF #') HINGE ON
RUN THE RISK OF BECOMING UNSETTLING TO UNNATURAL IN APPEARANCE AND MOVEMENT THE hRESEMBLANCE OF AN IMAGE TO THE
AUDIENCES 4HIS DIP IN ACCEPTABILITY IS THE CAN IN FACT BE MORE BELIEVABLY HUMAN THAN PHENOMENAL EVERYDAY WORLD THAT WE
5NCANNY 6ALLEY AND ON THE OTHER SIDE THOSE THAT FOCUS ON VISUAL MIMICRY 4HIS PERCEIVE AND EXPERIENCE PARTIALLY THROUGH
OF THIS VALLEY ARE THE THEORETICAL HUMAN ARTICLE MAKES A CASE FOR AN ALTERNATIVE SIGHTv P 4HE REALISM MOVEMENT IN ART
SIMULANTS n CHARACTERS SO CONVINCING APPROACH TO THE 5NCANNY 6ALLEY FOR JUDGING SUPPORTS THIS STANCE TO A DEGREE 2EALIST
THAT THEY ARE UNDISTINGUISHABLE FROM REAL THE AESTHETICS OF HUMAN
LIKE ANIMATION ARTISTS HAVE SINCE THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
HUMANS (OWEVER THE THEORY n WHICH HAS WITH SPECIl C FOCUS ON THE INTENTIONS OF AIMED TO DEPICT THE WORLD AS IT EXISTS
ITS ORIGINS IN ROBOTICS n CAN DISTRACT US THE ANIMATOR IN PRESENTING CHARACTERS EMPIRICALLY .OTABLY HOWEVER REALIST ART IS
FROM ONE OF THE PRIMARY AIMS OF ANIMATION THAT REm ECT HUMAN EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN NOT CONl NED TO THE PURSUIT OF PHOTOREALISM
7HILE SOME CHARACTER DESIGNERS MIGHT BE REPLICATE HUMAN APPEARANCE (OW THE ARTIST APPROACHES AND REPRESENTS
MEDIA EDUCATION JOURNAL
!VATAR;= ¥ 4WENTIETH #ENTURY &OX
4HE IMPORTANT POINT HERE IS THE SITUATION
OF THE #') CHARACTERS WITHIN AN APPARENT
EMPIRICAL REALITY 4O COME BACK TO &REUD IT
IS CLEAR THAT CONTEXT CANNOT BE DETACHED
FROM OUR AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE OF THE
UNCANNY &REUD TELLS US THAT WE l ND OBJECTS
UNCANNY ONLY IN RELATION TO THE REALITY IN
WHICH THEY EXIST )N THIS SENSE OBJECTS
WITHIN IMAGINED WORLDS ARE NOT NECESSARILY
MET WITH THE UNCANNY RESPONSE THAT IS
MUCH MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR WHEN OBJECTS ARE
PLACED WITHIN OUR EMPIRICAL REALITY AS &REUD
EXPLAINS
&IG 0OTENTIAL PLACEMENT OF ANIMATED FEATURES ALONG THE PATH TO 5NCANNY 6ALLEY
MEDIA EDUCATION JOURNAL
MEDIA EDUCATION JOURNAL
MEDIA EDUCATION JOURNAL