Uncanny valley  

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-'''Mannequin''' (alternately, '''manikin''', '''mannikin''', '''manakin''', '''dummy''' or '''lay figure'''). The word comes from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] word ''manneken'', literally meaning 'little man'. ''Mannequin'' is the French form. 
-* A jointed model of the human body used by [[artist]]s, especially to demonstrate the arrangement of [[drapery]]. Also called ''lay figure''.+The '''uncanny valley''' is a hypothesis regarding the field of [[robotics]]. The theory holds that when [[robot]]s and other facsimiles of humans look and act almost like actual humans, it causes a response of [[wikt:revulsion|revulsion]] among human observers. The "valley" in question is a dip in a proposed graph of the positivity of human reaction as a function of a robot's lifelikeness.
-* A life-size, articulated [[doll]] mainly used to display [[clothing]]. +
-* Mannequins with simulated [[airway]]s are used in the teaching of [[first aid]], [[cardiopulmonary resuscitation|CPR]] and advanced airway management skills such as [[intubation]].+
-* In [[computer simulation]], [[virtual]] manikins are used to model the behaviour of the human body.+
-==In popular culture==+
-Mannequins feature prominently in the early paintings of [[De Chirico]]. 
-In the mid 1970s, "mannequin modeling," a human model posing as a mannequin figure, was made famous by [[New York City]]'s major flagship department store [[Abraham & Straus]], which was located in [[Downtown Brooklyn]]. 
- 
-Mannequins are a common theme in horror fiction, although not nearly as common as [[doll|baby dolls]]. While an intense, irrational fear of mannequins (known as [[pediophobia]]) is rare, many people nonetheless find them disturbing (due in part perhaps to the [[uncanny valley]] effect), especially when not fully assembled.  
- 
-In "realistic" (non-supernatural) horror, the presence of mannequins or mannequin parts can be a visual cue for insanity, particularly insanity of a violent nature, as in the early [[Stanley Kubrick]] film ''[[Killer's Kiss]]'', the climactic fight scene of which takes place in a storage room of mannequins (parts of which are used as melee weapons, and the hands of some of which feature prominently on the DVD cover). In ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (novel)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'', mannequin limbs are among the objects found in the killer's storage unit. In [[Dean Koontz]]'s novel ''[[Velocity (novel)|Velocity]]'', a group of mutilated mannequins is found at a suspect's house, causing the protagonist (and reader) to believe the suspect to be the shark, or at least seriously disturbed. In the television series ''[[Carnivàle]]'', the camp site of a twisted Texas back country family is strewn with mannequin parts of all sorts. There is a scene in ''[[Dead Silence]]'' where a character falls through a theatre stage into a lake filled with mannequins. 
- 
-Another instance of mannequins occurs in the psychological thriller ''[[Condemned: Criminal Origins]]'' where, in one level, the player is inside an abandoned department store strewn with mannequins. The player can pick up a mannequin arm and use it as a melee weapon also. As the player progresses through the level there are certain stages where the mannequins are actual, disguised people. They come alive and try to kill you. 
- 
-There is a scene in the horror game "Silent Hill 3" where the player is in a room full of mannequins. All of the mannequins, except for one, are headless, legless, and armless. When the player moves to the other side of the room, a scream is heard, followed by a thump. When the player returns to the one mannequin with a head, the mannequin's head is laying severed on the ground in a pool of blood. In the previous game "Silent Hill 2", mannequins are a common enemy.  
- 
-Another setting found in numerous movies is abandoned nuclear test sites consisting of entire towns populated by mannequins, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. This setting appears in such films as ''[[Kalifornia]]'', ''[[Mulholland Falls]]'', and the 2006 remake of ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]''. 
- 
-A theme which appears both in horror and science fiction is mannequins coming to life, usually with somewhat [[zombie]]-like attributes. A recent example is "[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]", the first episode of the current ''[[Doctor Who]]'' series, in which a vat of sentient alien plastic seeks to take over the world, using animated mannequins called [[Auton]]s as its primary enforcers. The mannequins have gunlike weapons inside their hands, and there are many scenes of them smashing through [[shop window]]s and wreaking havoc in a London shopping mall. The Autons are also seen in the earlier ''Doctor Who'' episodes ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'' and ''[[Terror of the Autons]]''. 
- 
-Much more rare in fiction is a heroic or virtuous mannequin, although examples do exist. [[DC Comics]]' hero [[Brother Power the Geek]] is a mannequin brought to life by a lightning strike who gains super powers and befriends a group of 1960s [[hippies]]. His comic book series only lasted two issues. In the movie ''[[Mannequin (1987 film)|Mannequin]]'' and its sequel, the protagonist's love interest is a mannequin who magically comes to life. 
- 
-British pop band [[Yazoo (band)|Yazoo]] often uses mannequins on its covers, including the album ''[[Upstairs at Eric's]]'', the hits compilation ''Only Yazoo'', and the 1999 singles "Don't Go" and "Situation". 
- 
-"Mannequin" is also a song performed by British black metal band [[Cradle of Filth]]. In the [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]] song "Tourniquet" from the 1996 album ''[[Antichrist Superstar]]'' the subject is a mannequin. The [[third-wave-ska|ska band]] [[Reel Big Fish]]'s music video for "Where Have You Been?" from ''[[Cheer Up!]]'' features frontman [[Aaron Barrett]]'s fictional ex portrayed as a mannequin. "Mannequin" is also the title of a pop song by [[Britney Spears]] off her 2008 album ''[[Circus (Britney Spears album)|Circus]]''. The [[Germans|German]] [[electronica]] band [[Kraftwerk]] brought the concept of a group of mannequins coming to life to their 1977 song ''[[Showroom Dummies]]''. 
==See also== ==See also==
-*[[Agalmatophilia]]+*[[Affective computing]]
-*[[CPR]]+*[[Android science]]
-*[[Crash test dummy]]+*[[Ball-jointed doll]]
-*[[Model (person)|Model]]+*[[Bunraku]]
-*[[Resusci Anne]]+*[[Frankenstein complex]]
-*[[Sex doll]]+*[[Gynoid]]
-*''[[Revolt of the Mannequins]]''+*[[Postmodernism]]
- +*[[RealDoll]]
 +*[[Reborn doll]]
 +*[[Virtual Woman]]
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The uncanny valley is a hypothesis regarding the field of robotics. The theory holds that when robots and other facsimiles of humans look and act almost like actual humans, it causes a response of revulsion among human observers. The "valley" in question is a dip in a proposed graph of the positivity of human reaction as a function of a robot's lifelikeness.


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