Ever asked a question and been met with a blank stare? It’s awkward enough with a person—but on a humanoid robot, it can be downright unsettling. Now, an international team co-led by Hiroshima University and RIKEN has found a fix: giving androids a “thinking face.” Their study reveals that when robots squint and furrow their brow while processing information, they appear more relatable, easing the eerie discomfort we feel with artificial beings that look almost, but not quite, human—known as the “uncanny valley” effect.
That ‘uhh… let me think’ face you make? Androids need it too
