Slopfest #44 · 1970 · Vienna
Welcome to the Uncanny Valley
Almost-human robots are unsettling. Our greeter is 94 percent human and nobody stands near it.
Museum status: On permanent loan to a museum that has not been informed.
- Venue
- Prater, the ghost train
- Attendance
- 1,640
- Guest of honour
- Jim Henson (brought a felt puppet that everyone liked far more than the robot)
- Fun fact
- 94% human, 100% avoided
What happened
The committee built a greeter that was nearly but not quite a person, from a shop mannequin, a tape recorder and a real moustache. Guests described it as 'fine' and took a longer route to the bar. Jim Henson brought a felt puppet that everyone liked much more. The greeter has welcomed guests every year since and looks slightly more human each time.
Elsewhere in 1970
Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori publishes his essay on the 'uncanny valley', the unease caused by almost-human robots.
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