Why are people often afraid to see robots? Scientists have the answer

There is a special area in the brain that makes many people feel frightened and have a bad aversion to real-life robots.

According to PopularMechanics , a group of multinational scientists went to find out why some people feel frightened by robots. They proceed to identify areas in the human brain responsible for causing fear, hate robots.

That is the amygdala and prefrontal cortex . These are areas of the brain responsible for the aversion of some people to robots. These areas are always in red alert when they see robots shaped like humans.

There are areas in the human brain that are responsible for causing fear, hating robots.

These latest findings confirm the Uncanny Valley theory is grounded. Uncanny Valley theory says that people like things that are human in shape but often reject if they are too human.

Many people predict that the cause may be due to human consciousness about the preservation of human life or the comparison of human and robot characteristics. But why do people react in different ways to a potential threat?

To understand why humans have an aversion to robots, especially humanoid robots , we must consider the Uncanny Valley theory. This theory was created by robot expert Masahiro Mori . It is said that humanoid robots make us uncomfortable because of seeing a machine with the same shape as humans creating the feeling as if a dead person is communicating with them.

Humanoid robot makes people uncomfortable, it feels like a dead person is communicating with them.

Mori's theory is expressed as a curve. The familiar feeling of humans with robots moves into an upward curve in the process of interacting with human-like machines. Basically, humans can be friends with robots until they are the same as us. This makes the brain aware of an ongoing instability.

So where is the fear or feeling of insecurity before robots in the human brain? To answer this question, the team used fMRI and non-invasive techniques to measure and map brain activity. Since then, scientists can monitor the volunteers' mental activity as they look at pictures between robots and humans.

Volunteers will then be arranged based on how they choose the photos. The team then asked the volunteers about what kind of robots they chose to make gifts for their loved ones. Each volunteer will only have a picture of a human or humanoid robot. However, almost no one selects robots that are too similar to humans.

Through the measurement results, the scientists found that volunteers' amygdala and prefrontal cortex had unusual activities when looking at robots identical to humans. It seems that our brains are skeptical about these robots and feel anxious.

People are constantly improving robots and turning this machine into a companion in life.

The prefrontal cortex is usually located in front of the frontal lobe where it is against the original nature and has the task of urging us. This part of the brain is more developed than other animals. It also contributes greatly and the characterization of each person's personality.

Meanwhile, the amygdalae area, usually in front of the temporal lobe, is responsible for helping people feel things and read other people's emotions. This is a very important area because it creates a sense of fear for people, helps us handle situations in combat or avoid accidents better.

People are constantly improving robots and turning this machine into a friend and companion with us in life. Therefore, giving up the construction of robot models identical to humans is against the development process. However, whether people can control the robot or not is still a story that has no solution because no one knows in the future with the support of AI, the robot is going to betray people or not.

The team hopes, new insights into human fear before robots will help improve relationships and create a better future, where people and robots live peacefully.

The study was published in the recent issue of Neuroscience.