Some observers described the Telenoid R1 communication robot as looking like a ghost. They were being charitable. Very charitable.

In an earlier blog entitled Bina48 and the Uncanny Grand Canyon, I characterized an armless, upper torso, humanoid robot named Bina-48 as “a perfect exemplar of the uncanny valley,” while describing the uncanny valley as the feeling of distaste that comes over humans when they view facsimiles of humans, robotic and otherwise, that look and act almost like actual humans… but not quite. I went further to elaborate (perhaps overwrite would be the better term) that “Bina48’s stilted, random responses increased the level of creepiness, pushing the robot into the realm of the uncanny Grand Canyon, the walls of which are made up of the general public’s expectations for human-robot verbal interaction.”

I believe that the phrase “uncanny Grand Canyon” drove home my point, but actually Bina did not descend to a new level of uncanny - she (it?) ascended to a new level. And what would that new level be? In a word… “creepiness.” In a robotics context, the words “creepy” and “creepiness” are often seen in association with their more academic counterpart “uncanny valley,” so much so that they are virtually interchangeable.

Looking back, I believe that I might have overstated the case of Bina-48’s decent into the uncanny valley. No, make that “I know I overstated the case.” Why the change of heart? Actually, it hinges on the term creepy and the announcement of a new robotic system courtesy of Osaka University and Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR).

What Osaka University and ATR announced was Telenoid R1, a teleoperated, minimalist, communication robot. A verbal description of the physical robot would simply not do it justice - see it here, here and here. I would also suggest reading the associated comments (which are often sidesplitting). Clearly, if Bina-48 is creepy, the world needs a new word for an overwhelming sensation of unease, discomfort, and aversion.

Telenoid R1 was developed by Hiroshi Ishiguro, who in the past has developed a number of human-like robots. The Telenoid was designed as an advanced communication device that provides a physical homolog for a person communicating from a remote site. Using the system, a webcam-equipped computer records the voice and captures the movements of the remote operator, which is then transmitted to the Telenoid.

It is quite an accomplishment to have virtually all articles and blog posts that refer to a new announcement describe it as creepy (to date a feat only achieved by photos of celebrities with bad plastic surgery outcomes). It is also unfortunate, however, because much earnest research and hard work went into the development of the Telenoid R1.

According to the researchers, the robot’s reduced feature set makes it easier for humans to conflate the Telenoid with the remoter operator. Also, the robot can be used to represent both male and female operators, as well as the young and the old. By limiting the robot’s movements, the number of motors and other technology is reduced, thereby reducing the system’s overall cost as well. That’s important as the Telenoid R1 is pricy as is. When the products are released later this year, a research version is expected to cost approximately $35,000, while a commercial version will run $8,000.

From the announcement it is clear that the Telenoid developers thought long and hard about the robot’s appearance and functionality. Their motives were correct - maximize the range of operators the robot can represent while minimizing system cost. Still, as Oscar Wilde noted, it is always with best intentions that the worst work is done. Without a redesign, the Telenoid, which even the most charitable observers describe as looking like a ghost, will have a ghost of a chance of commercial success.