The uncanny valley is the idea, posed by a Japanese robotics professor, that as humanoid robots start to resemble us more and more, we warm to them. But there’s a point where sudden repulsion kicks in: the more they look like us, the more we realise they don’t.
It’s like playing Fallout 3, and being grossed out by the NPC’s freaky frown lines, or LA Noire and wondering why every female character’s hair appears to be made of papier mache. It isn’t human.
It’s precisely what’s wrong with Android tablets like the Motorola Xoom 2. Honeycomb is starting to resemble a viable tablet option, but it still doesn’t feel quite right.
