Brian Fung over at the Atlantic.com has written a fascinating article on why voters continue to have misgivings about Mitt Romney. To Fung, the problem lies in what robotic researchers call “the uncanny valley.” The more a robot looks real, the more likely we are to feel positively towards it. But when the robot begins to look too human, the reaction quickly turns to revulsion or anxiety. In short, Romney’s robotic-ness is a turn off.
Fung says, “Most politicians tend to be ordinary-looking people who spend their time convincing voters they’re office-quality material. Romney is rushing the other way: he’s the politician from central casting who is stumbling through an audition for a role of regular human.”
Interestingly, this theory can be applied not just to Romney, but to robots themselves. It could explain why Roxxxy the sex robot never really came to life.
Beyond Military Drones: The World’s First Sex Robot from Australian Broadcasting Corporation on FORA.tv
Photo courtesy of cbowns
