Back in the early 2000s, when I lived close to Harvard University, I used to see these flyers posted on kiosks and lamp posts that said in big print, “Free Ice Cream!” Then in smaller print, “Volunteer needed to interact with robots.” Then in tiny print, “Participants in our study will receive a $5 gift certificate at [local ice cream parlor] J.P. Licks.”
While I never took the flyer up on its offer, I loved the idea of eating ice cream with a robot. Yes, I know that’s a willful misinterpretation of the sign on my part. But I liked to imagine sitting down to share a sundae with one of those windup mechanical robot toys from the 1950s.
This is all to say that I like robots. I am not terribly worried that a robot is going to steal my job (or my ice cream). And yet …
A few years ago, I had the chance to see Boston Dynamics’ Spot robotic dog at a trade show. And I was, surprisingly, not delighted. Instead, I felt unsettled and maybe a bit queasy. I have not had this reaction to other robots. For example, I think AMRs are rather cute. And I think Boston Dynamics’ Stretch truck unloading robot is super cool.
There was no rational reason for the difference in my reactions. There was just a general sense that something about that “dog” felt off, and I did not want to get close to it.
As it turns out, I was experiencing what is known as the “uncanny valley effect,” or the feeling of unease when you encounter something whose appearance somewhat resembles a human (or dog) but is not quite fully human (or canine).
While this might seem like merely an interesting psychological phenomenon, some experts argue that it could be a significant barrier to the adoption of humanoid robots in the warehouse.
Even Jonathan Hurst, Agility Robotics’ chief robot officer, acknowledges that overcoming the uncanny valley effect is very important when it comes to acceptance of humanoid robots. Agility is the creator of Digit, the thin teal robot with the backwards knees and friendly eyes that’s being piloted in Amazon warehouses. Digit was carefully designed not to trigger the uncanny valley effect. Instead, it was designed to look like something close to a human, but not too close.
For example, Agility had earlier designed a bipedal robot that didn’t have a head. “A robot doesn’t need to have a head,” Hurst explains. “It actually got in the way when the robot bent down to pick something up.” But when they beta-tested the robot, they kept getting feedback from people that it was missing its head. (Interestingly, when I went back to look at photos of Spot, I noticed that it also lacks a head. Although in my memories of it, my brain has added one in.)
Digit not only has a head but eyes as well. And it turns out that the eyes are a useful communication tool. The direction in which Digit’s eyes are pointing tells the humans working with it where it will be going next, which makes it less likely that people will be startled by the robot’s movements. (Surprise, according to Hurst, is a key element of the uncanny valley effect.)
But at the same time, Agility was very careful not to make those eyes too lifelike. The eyes are simple LEDs—more like cartoon eyes.
Another example of not being too close to being human? When Digit was first introduced into a warehouse, Agility tried dressing it in the same vests that the human workers wore. But Hurst says they got feedback that people did not like that. That was their uniform, and putting Digit in their uniform made them feel like they were being replaced. So no vest for Digit.
Hurst says it’s helpful to think of robots not as people but more like service animals (just maybe not a service animal like Spot). They are meant not to replace human workers but to help them, like a seeing-eye dog.
But I think there’s another way to increase acceptance of humanoid robots. Maybe before they’re brought into the warehouse, they could first be introduced to their new human colleagues at an ice cream social.
