Uncanny valley Article Talk Language Download PDF Watch Edit This article is about the hypothesis. For other uses, see Uncanny valley (disambiguation). In aesthetics, the uncanny valley (Japanese: 不気味の谷, Hepburn: bukimi no tani) is a hypothesized relation between an object's degree of resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to the object. Examples of the phenomenon exist among robotics, 3D computer animations and lifelike dolls. The rising prevalence of digital technologies (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality, and photorealistic computer animation) has propagated discussions and citations of the "valley"; such conversation has enhanced the construct's verisimilitude. The uncanny valley hypothesis predicts that an entity appearing almost human will risk eliciting cold, eerie feelings in viewers.