Deep in the Valley, where nobody goes...

BigDog is a DARPA (US military) funded robotic mule for carrying this and that across all terrain. Its first incarnation was stunning and made big noises (literally) in the media and 'new media'. Its ability to clamber up and down hills, and keep itself up even when kicked off balance were really amazing.

While I'm no fan of the military, I can't help but revel in the ingenius design and superb execution of its engineering.

But now BigDog 2.0 is here, and its found itself in a eery place... The Uncanny Valley

When stuff gets really close to being "natural" your brain starts putting you into the "natural" categories, rather than object categories, and instead of being a charmingly animal or human like object, you perceive it as a freakishly unnatural animal. Text to speech has the same inverted hurdle to traverse. I personally think TTS is now a good way up the far slope. But many seem to think BigDog is down with the zombies (see figure above)!

Which scares the bejesus out of folk. I actually quite like this (shame about the engine noise though) and feel quite protective when I see it stumble and struggle to find its footing. Especially on the ice. I get the urge to hold out a steadying hand, and check if its 'OK' after.

But maybe thats just me. Most folk just think its freaky.Â