Project Proposal

The Uncanny Valley is something many people are aware of, but they can never put a name to it. Do you enjoy pointing out the CGI in movies that try to trick you into believing the CGI is real? Or do you feel uneasy when you see something trying to mimic reality but it just isn't quite right? This is the Uncanny Valley. Essentially the name came from a dip in a graph created by robotics professor Masahiro Mori, that stated when a robot (CG character) is created to look lifelike but just misses the mark the viewer feels repulsed to look at it. If something is sufficiently not lifelike then the lifelike qualities will stand out to the viewer. On the other hand if something is “almost lifelike” then it is the unlifelike characteristics that stand out leaving you with a feeling of repulsion or dislike.

As The Uncanny Valley will forever exist it would be useless trying to get rid of it or ignore it. The best way to deal with it is to equip yourself with knowledge. This is what the project is all about. Equipping yourself and others with the knowledge to understand The Uncanny Valley so eventually it can be avoided. But first you must understand The Valley before trying to avoid it. I believe there are two sides of The Valley, Abstract (Up, The Incredible) and Realistic (Tintin, Avatar). In order to understand how to stay out of The Valley you need to understand the limits of those two spectrums. Learn those limits and how they work and in theory you could stay out of The Uncanny Valley.

I believe that the most crucial parts to staying out of The Uncanny Valley is to have believable movements. I agree that you need good visuals and convincing environments but the movement is the make or break area, the part that pushes it over the edge. Therefore I prepose to explore everything animation to do with abstract and realistic. To do this I will try my best to rig and animate both an abstract and a realistic characters. This practice, a long with research, will both educate and inform me on what makes and breaks the two areas. From there I will design and produce my own concise book of guides/tips to help the common animator stay out of The Uncanny Valley.