Dictionary

uncanny valley en · NOUN

Etymology

Calque of Japanese 不気味の谷 (bukimi no tani), from 不気味 (bukimi, “eerie, uncanny”, of Middle Chinese origin, literally “bad taste and smell”) + の (no, noun modifier particle) + 谷 (tani, “valley”). First used in 1970 by roboticist Masahiro Mori.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) A range of appearances, mannerisms, or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from a human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion.
   • So in this case, the appearance is quite human like, but the familiarity is negative. This is the uncanny valley. 1970, Masahiro Mori, “The Uncanny Valley”, in Energy, volume 7, number 4, pages 33–35:
   • Almost human in appearance, yet not quite, the characters in 3-D computer animations are more disturbing than overt caricatures. The realm these creatures occupy is called the uncanny valley […]. 2007, Jonathon Keats, Control + Alt + Delete: A Dictionary of Cyberslang:
   • However, when the robot is so similar that it may be momentarily mistaken for real, the transition has a local minimum characterized by a sudden decrease of familiarity, the "uncanny valley"—a dip of frustration due to unmet expectations. 2006, Sebastiano Bagnara, Gillian Crampton Smith, Theories and Practice in Interaction Design:
   • More unusual is perhaps the appropriation of a psychoanalytical theory to robotics–which is, in effect, what the uncanny valley aims to do. Mori's own descriptions of the uncanny follow a similar pattern to Freud's, where he indicates the kinds of events, states, processes or objects that might provoke the uncanny valley, particularly the theme of the dead. 2015, Kathleen Richardson, An Anthropology of Robots and AI, Routledge, →ISBN:
   • There’s an uncanny valley effect occurring: Your friends look more like brands, and brands look more like your friends, so it’s increasingly hard to tell which is which. And that’s exactly what businesses want. 2016 September 22, Kyle Chayka, “Instagram's Creepy New Ads Look Like Posts From Your Friends”, in The Atlantic:
2. (broadly, figuratively, uncountable, usually) Digital or ambiguous physical spaces that create a sense of unease or eeriness due to deviations from familiar patterns that challenge perception and categorization, leading to discomfort. (e.g., liminal spaces, haunted houses, the Backrooms, etc.)

Forms

Translations (25)

es valle escalofriante (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · hu hátborzongató völgy (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · es valle inquietante (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · el ἀνοίκειος συμπεριφορὰ (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · ru злове́щая доли́на (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · cmn 恐怖谷 (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · tr tekinsiz vadi (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · ca vall inquietant (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · pt vale da estranheza (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · pl dolina niesamowitości (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · fi outo laakso (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · fr vallée de l’étrange (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · fa دره وهمی (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · uk мо́торошна доли́на (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · it valle perturbante (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · es valle espeluznante (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · sv kusliga dalen (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · fr vallée dérangeante (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · ko 불쾌한 골짜기 (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · sv kuslighetens dal (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · de Akzeptanzlücke (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · de Uncanny Valley (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · ja 不気味の谷 (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · ar وَادٍ غَرِيب (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions) · he עֵמֶק הַמוּזָרוּת (subtle differences from human behavior that may cause negative reactions)

wikipedia: Masahiro Mori (roboticist)