The film “Be Right Back” is about a woman
who loses her husband in a dreadful death and when he is gone, a robotic one
takes his place. This robot acts differently but looks the same as the guy that
it is replacing. It is weird to think that a robot can take the place of
someone who is gone forever. Ash, the man who dies, and Ash 2, the robotic man,
are not the same. Even though they may look the same, the differences take place
in the actions and feelings of them.
The Uncanny Valley represents the amount
of acceptance the human race gives towards robots the more human-like they
get. People are okay with robots when they can tell it is a robot and are
not threatened by the realness and the similarity that it holds to real humans.
Even though in the film Ash 1 was more robotic than Ash 2, the actual robot,
people would typically be more freaked out by Ash 2 because he is so realistic
but he is not real.
When I was 11 I
lose my great grandmother. It was incredibly hard to let her go but once it
happened and I gave it time, I realized that everything happens for a reason.
Then, I am sure that I would have, with no thought, had a robotic great
grandmother made just to see her and hug her one last time. But if I had the
option to do that now, I don’t think that I would. The idea of having a “fake”
great grandmother back would not be the same as having the one before. It would
not be the same as having my actual great grandmother there with me. Once
something or someone dies, it is gone and that is why the idea behind Ash 2 is
so creepy. The real Ash is gone so how could there be another one?
Because Ash 2 is so life-like, it gives us a sense of not knowing
who could actually be a robot. If something is so realistic to where we cannot
even determine if it is a human or not, it scares people.
The Uncanny Valley
shows that people are not ready to see robots that are close enough to pass as
humans. When they reach that point, the robots are too similar to us and we are
threatened by that.
3 comments:
I totally agree with your feelings about not wanting a robot of a lost family member, even though it sounds really nice. Right after my grandmother died, I probably would have considered doing the phone call arrangement. Now after time has passed, I see how wrong and false that would be. It's not the real her so I shouldn't try to make it her.
Blythe,
I totally agree with what you say. I think its obscene to replicate something that had so much meaning in our lives and bring it back to life, I do not agree with it. I feel that if we were to loose an "Ash2" in some way, we would have a more detachment and even a harder time coping with the loss.
Blythe,
I especially agree with your comment about how you would not want to see a human replica of your grandmother. The thought of replacing someone you love with something that would never be the same is a tough one. Someone also has to think if a replica robot or humanoid would truly help the grieving process.
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