Anthropomorphobia
Koert van MensvoortAre you familiar with the affliction? Anthropomorphobia is the fear of recognizing human characteristics in non-human objects. The term is a hybrid of two Greek-derived words: …
Are you familiar with the affliction? Anthropomorphobia is the fear of recognizing human characteristics in non-human objects. The term is a hybrid of two Greek-derived words: …
Anthropomorphobia is the fear of acknowledging qualities we wish to consider only human in non-human things. Sufferers from the condition used to have trouble mostly at fairs or …
This unpractical yet not less pretty anthropomorphic furniture piece was created by photographer David Blazques . We are clueless on whether it is in permanent use, yet it serves …
Everyone wants to be remembered after his or her death. Some choose to be buried, others to be cremated. The company Cremation Solutions has a new service which ensures you will …
We've asked our followers to send in testimonials on the Next Nature Appzine. George got it right.
French student at the Design Academy Eindhoven collected hair from African American hairdressers to create jackets and hats.
Empathy for Robots. May cause feelings of Anthropomorphobia.
Our peculiar image of the week makes us shivers with Anthropomorphobia.
Experiments in the Revival of Organisms is a 1940 motion picture which documents Soviet research into the resuscitation of clinically dead organisms by Doctor Sergey Sergeyevich …
Welcome to the 11 part series The Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Product Design. In this series, we will be examining how designers can better integrate human-like forms or …
Part 10 in the 11 part series Anthropomorphism and Design . The hidden danger with interactive products is that they will become so good at fulfilling our needs that they start to …
Part 11 of the series 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design Anthropomorphism can be a powerful tool in product design. But there are also risks involved that urge …
Part 8 of the 11 part series Anthropomorphism and Design . Anthropomorphic products blur the boundaries between products and people. Ethical norms for people don’t usually apply …
Part 9 in the 11 part series Anthropomorphism and Design . With most products, one wouldn’t normally worry about the environment that it enters. However, anthropomorphic products …
Today, shoes have been naturalized to the extend that we hardly can imagine life without them. Yet, shoes didn't exist in old nature, hence there must have been a day when …
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of today and various scenarios, ranging from artificial trees , pollution trading , co2 capturing to geo-engineering, have been …
Lucy McRae and Rachel Wingfield made a edible DIY bio fab–lab called the Biological Bakery.
Studies suggest that Botox impairs the ability to process the emotional content of language, limiting the quality of emotional experiences.
ching 64GB SD cards to each of our fingers challenges how we store and share information in a world were our digital privacy is at risk.
What if your devices had a life of their own? Guy Farber’s playful short movie "An iReal" explores this very possibility.
Do we treat our technologies with more care and sentimentality these days than we did in the past?
A team of German researchers published a study earlier this week indicating people can be duped into leaving a robot turned on just because it “asks” them to. The …
I never expected anthropomorphobia to be evoked by a fish! This hybrid species fish was born between a carp and a leather carp in the pond of a personal house in Chongju. Each of …
Artist Arne Hendriks gave a lustrous talk on the possibilities of downsizing humanity to better fit the earth.
Finally a vending machine that doesn't want you money, it wants hugs. Embrace it to get a free can of coke. Might give you rushes of anthropomorphobia too though. Via The Pop-Up …
We all know BioJewellery ; two wedding rings grown from bone tissue collected from two lovers. This intimate ring allows you to physically wear your partner around your finger. …
Sexy girls and organ meat was never a good combination to me, but the people from Black Milk Clothing that created this swimsuit seem to think it makes a pretty nice product. Am …
This image, generated by a computer, portrays a representation of what seems to be some kind of squirrel-meets-sea-lion-meets-slug-type of creature.
To thread the uncanny valley is a conscious choice for many artists and enthusiasts, as a means to evoke, through their work, powerful emotions, thoughts and everything in between.
No, this is not another example in our fake for real series , comparing an artificial with a human hand. Rather, you are looking at twice the same hand: with and without its …
How could you ever be an anthropomorphobic after you've seen this peculiar image of the week. Thanks Maze .
This umbilical cord-inspired charger cable by interactive media artist Mio I-zawa comes to life when connected to an iPhone. Don't watch the video if you are anthropomorphobic . …
So you thought the Internet was made by and for people? Think again. A study by Incapsula , a provider of cloud-based security for web sites (mind you where this data comes from), …
Everyday Anthropomophobia : This summer in Norway I discovered it is normal to put images of happy children on your liver pie product. I asked a Norwegian friend about this …
FabCafe in Tokyo offers a sweet new way to make self portraits.
Mesmerizing drone ballet from Kmel Robotics and Lexus.
The more we look like ads, the closer we get to some ideal of beauty, the more off-putting we find the results.
The Actroid robot holds clues for climbing out of the uncanny valley.
The humanoid robot Yangyang can function autonomously, talking and gesturing while interacting with people.
Humans cannot have intercourse with cars or replicate with them, so why would we find cars sexy anyhow?
Tinder users beware: somewhere out there a mechanical finger is surfing the popular dating smartphone app. This could be your next match.
Do you ever look at the bonnet of a car and see a face? Now, designers are looking at how to give self-driving cars the friendliest "faces" they can through anthropomorphism.
Just when you thought the Second Life hype was long gone, meet Ukrainian body artist Valerie Lukyanova who aims to turn Second Life into First Life. They call her the Human …
Congrats to Sean Serafini, the winner of our April Next Nature Spotter contest. While we received many images of fake nature , Sean's entry delves deeper into more diverse next …
In this particular piece of video art, loyal readers of nextnature.net might recognise the building as Zeche Zollverein in Germany, where we organized the Biggest Visual Power …
Over time, our bodies, our food and our environment have become more and more subject to design. As designers, we hold the responsibility and have the unique chance to envision …
A beautifull movie about robots in everyday life. Made by 1st Avenue Machine. Watch the Quicktime here
Metalosis Maligna is a documentary by Floris Kaayk about a disease which affects patients with medical implants. Sourcing from such implants a wild metal growth ultimately …
This is only available in Japan. The Navirobo Teddy Bear has a GPS module, sit it on your dashboard and let the navigating begin. Navirobo will point you in the correct direction …
Smile! We are your friends. Robots will play an important role in our future society. We need to ensure that robots are socially compatible with us in order for society to accept …
Silly inventions like these make me wonder why man continuously seeks interaction with the things surrounding him. Should buildings or offices be allowed to talk? "This door was …
Botanicalls is a system that allows plants to call their owner when they need more (or less) sunlight or water. It works by placing moisture and light sensors in plants and then …
A Nike shoe stapled together with human flesh, created by Adam Brandejs .
Erich Berger has a 96 year old grandmother who is a cyborg. She features dentures, hearing aids, glasses, pace maker, a metal implant on the pinkie toe, and more. Quotes from the …
A bug that does the cleaning? This 1-meter (39-inch) tall, 1.35-meter (53-inch) long prototype robot ' named "Lady Bird" ' is designed to clean public restrooms at highway rest …
Artist Nicola Costantino creates objects that comment on the meat and leather industries. In the surrealist tratdition, these handbags and shoes are imprinted with tiny images of …
The goals of "understanding humanity" and "humanizing robots" are tightly related to each other. Infanoid Project is trying to relate robotics to human sciences in order to …
This peculiar image made me realize: It is in fact totally miraculous that people are capable to perceive machines as 'sexy'. How did that ever happen?
Although there are numerous researchers out there creating humanoid robots, none are as explicit about the close relation between anthropomorphism and narcissism as professor …
Anyone can build the house of their dreams via scaryideas.com The previous images are of course created for commercial purposes, but just take a look at the domestics below and …
Murata Boy, is a robot capable of riding bicycles unassisted. Balancing, pedaling and directing the bicyclee, turning the bike to avoid obstacles, etc. And this is his nephew, …
Blendie is an voice controlled blender with a mind of its own. Materials are a 1950’s Osterizer blender altered with custom made hardware and software for sound analysis and motor …
This landscape is titled 'I can not help the way I feel' and was created by John Isaacs . The way in which the flesh grows, erupts and engulfs the body can be seen as a metaphor …
Try selling cars these days without some good old genetic manipulation...
Human-product relationships increasingly play out in a realm which was previously considered exclusive for human-human and human-animal relationships. Panasonic now redesigned one …
A commercial by an orthopaedic reconstruction company introducing the next generation of joint replacements: " Highly advanced hips and knees. Engineered to meet the needs of your …
A future physical anthropologist who knows nothing about the human race and would dig up a contemporary desktop computer, might conclude homo desktopus must have been the user of …
Artist Max Kor, built himself a World of Warcraft Night Elf from scratch. Check his tutorial for an inside peek in surreal beauty construction. We are waiting for night elves to …
This peculiar, half-human creature could be your cousin. No really; it is a sculpture by Patricia Piccinini entitled The Young Family , which, in turn, is part of a larger …
Why not use the human body to grow products for the medical industry? The designer Michael Burton envisions Future Farm where the body is used as a farm to cultivate clinical and …
Modern society seems to have transformed human nature into a pathology. Our emotions are controlled by drugs. We are forced to operate within a narrow bandwith of what are …
Or you could get an iDog. This electronic animal with musical sensibilities. It sits on your desk and sings along with the music you are playing. Dog haters don't need to worry; …
So you thought that animated Pixar Lamp from the movies was just a fantasy? Not anymore. Luxalive is a prototype of an reading lamp that moves according to the character of its …
Fifteen policemen rushed to the scene, after a couple reported to have bumped into a "corpse" while out walking their dog in a mountain forest in Izu, central Japan. The officers …
A 56-year-old man from the Midwestern US state of Wisconsin has been arrested after shooting his lawn mower in his garden because it would not start. The man was charged by police …
I got this in my email from my uncle who lives in Australia. "After a short stay in America, David returns to Italy" . You know what's coming before you even open the picture. …
The video below is featuring a computer-generated replica of actress Emily O’Brien’s face at high-definition resolution. The Image Metrics process takes a captured video and …
With its 50 cm wing span and 80 grams of weight, this high tech bird is ready to infiltrate swift surveillance squads next summer. Aerospace engineering students at TU Delft , …
At a recent Yo-Yo Ma concert at the Detroit Opera House, Honda's ASIMO robot took the stage and conducted. Blame Honda when the robots take over. Thanks Paul .
Confused with the pile of remote controls in your house? Now here is an idea: get a robot to control them. Researchers at Toshiba have developed a talking robot, named ApriPoko, …
In 1921 the word "Robot" (meaning "labor") was introduced by Czech writer Karel ?apek . In his play "R.U.R." (Rossum's Universal Robots), robots seem happy to work for humans. …
Chantal Sebire suffers from an extremely rare form of cancer (foto: AFP) Since a few centuries some we tend to consider nature as something to preserve. Hence the international …
Usually we don't realize the hours of photoshopping spent on magazine and advertising images before publication. The raw photographic material reveals a lot about the fine craft …
Voodoo is an ancient religion, originating from Africa, who’s mystical practice is believed to bring reward to those who are willing to place their destiny in the hands of loving …
You wouldn't give it to her but Barbie is already over 50 years old. The doll made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in 1959 and has been a young girls (and gays) …
What if the mannequins in the shopping windows suddenly started moving? Would you buy more, or would it just trigger your anthropomorphobic responses? Soon we will know. Momo is a …
This new 3D webcam with two cameras spaced approximately as far apart as human eyes is our anthropomorphic object of the week. Can you feel it, watching you? The little brother …
Plastic fantastic starts at an early age. Created by Pleix . Related: Photoshop Beauties , Software that ranks female beauty , Virtual Miss , Natural Breasts .
Designer Laura Boffi envisions a future in which human instincts will leap behind on technological progress. For example, once the 'disease called mortality' is cured with …
Unlike many people fear that computers will overtake humans, Ray Kurzweil states that robots will merge with humans, robots the size of cells which can do the job way more …
"Paris, printemps 2019: Oh Darling, you look gorgeous." Nowadays we are so used to Hollywood hyperbodies – a simulation of a body that never existed – it is good to see a …
A future in which prosthetic patches prevent bodies from aging? Or a sexists view on femininity in robotics? Either way, the question is whether they are up- or downgrades of …
Our beloved King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who died tragically at the age of fifty after suffering cardiac arrest, was one of the most widely beloved entertainers and influential …
Anthropomorphobic object of the week. Created by Sarah Hatch .
Our peculiar image of the week was created by artist Levi van Veluw , who reinvents the classical fine art of landscape painting, by moving from the traditional 'oil on canvas' to …
Sometimes you just need to settle with the surrogate. Peculiar image of the week. See also (in the baby series): Infant pillow , We are all born in a world . Thanks Hendrik-Jan .
Meet KOBIAN, the humanoid robot that is not only able to walk about and interact with humans, but uses its entire body in addition to its facial expressions to display a full …
Crying, talking, sleeping, walking... not really, but this is what Cliff Richard's concept could look like when laboratorised. "To demonstrate a new method for fabricating …
After the plant that glows when thirsty , the plant that calls when thirsty , the dataplant , plantvertizing , the emphatic plant and the blogging houseplant , there is now a …
In next nature, video game characters become part of your everyday environment, however I am no sure if I would hire this guy to do my plumbing. This hyperreal Mario was created …
Let the robots do the dirty work! This real-life Wall-E Recycling robot, part of the $3.9 million DustBot research program that is trying to improve urban hygiene, collects trash …
Tiger meets tiger. Apparently some of the owners of a vacuum cleaning robot feel the need to 'costumize' their device. We are now awaiting the witty bio-robotics company that …
We are anxiously waiting for the robot that makes the sushi, but at Squse , they have created the hand that can carefully place the delicacies in a box without crushing them. …
Make no mistake, you're not looking at the latest Barbie line: These are the The Pussycat Dolls. Formerly an LA stripper show burlesque show, now upgraded to be pop music …
No this isn't photoshopped. After a motor accident Finish hacker Jerry Jalava decided not to use a normal prosthesis and felt that a prosthesis usb memory stick would enhance his …
Ever wondered why there is so much competition in the world of operating systems? This video made by Leon Wang illustrates that "old nature" mechanisms like survival of the …
This extraordinary concept model that came out of the batcave of BMW shows how textile might be the future of car design. By replacing metal bodywork with a strong but flexible …
Frequent readers of this website might be familiar with our claim that Next Nature emerges from a fusion between the Born and the Made. But now we can add another: the fusion of …
This is your life. We concur. Self portrait by Kasey McMahon made of s teel, CAT5 and other data cables . Photo by Kevin Rolly . Peculiar image of the week.
Let's slightly move back to the NextNature theme with an amusing video by Cyriak . And if that doesn't convince you of cows being the superior species... this video most certainly …
Why do we grow attached to things? Patricia Piccinini captured it well in this peculiar work: The Stags - 2008 (Culture becomes nature) The Nest - 2006 Thicker than Water - 2007 …
Alright, we were mistaken. Money isn't virtual after all. A recent TV commercial of a Greek bank shed light on the issue. Your money lives, is anthropomorphic and inhabits an …
Designer Guus Baggermans was quite annoyed by the clumsy impoliteness of current vending machines, that typically require you to enter some abstract number to select your drink or …
Nature demanded that we make a choice between immortality and sex, but the Next Nature of the 21st century may not. For help, we can look back to the 20th Century, which had many …
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro ( Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaska University) has done it again! This time in coöperation with robot-maker Kokoro Co. Ltd . Objective: to …
It took some years of evolution to turn sex (between different sexes) from a stricly functional activity attuned to reproduction, into the recreational activity it is primarily …
As our everyday living spaces are packed with electronics and become increasingly sentient, we might one day wake up in a house that knows more about your family's state than you …
Drive Legs is a portable hard drive which stands up if liquid is spilled near it. Created by James Chambers , who is experimenting with giving products defense mechanisms to …
These two co-workers found out the face tracking feature of the utterly advanced HP webcam will not recognize or track black faces. Hewlett Packard says it's because the program …
In the series of bio-printer stories this inkjet-like bio-printer seems to be the most convincing product to hit the market soon. It sprays skin cells directly onto burn victims, …
The Quest for Fire (1981) shows the Next Nature of 80.000 BC. Set in a world without highways, supermarkets, airports, Internet, television, farming, money or written language, …
Look around you and try to find the most natural thing in the room you are in now. It is you. Now, you wouldn’t be so sure in the apocalyptic Los Angeles of 2019 depicted in Blade …
In the last few decades there have been numerous films that take the struggle between mankind and its increasingly intelligent and autonomous technology as a leitmotif. Ranging …
The sad story of Timothy Treadwell is the ultimate example of the drama a naive notion of nature can bring about. Grizzly Man (2005) opens with the facts surrounding Timothy …
Two grannies assessing the milk productivity of two goats by means of a chart: this is the story of the commercial behind this screenshot. The first granny is a data analysis …
In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, two unmanned interplanetary space probes that were sent out to explore the outer space. Aboard each was a record which intended to …
Skinpaper is a speculative work by Tommaso Lanza and Vanessa Harden that explores the cross section between a living specimen and paper. "Skin paper is made of breathable …
Avatars are commonly known as virtual characters in the digital realm representing a user. But what if avatars could house personal history, profile and ideas? Could that enable …
Glad to announce that performance artist Stelarc – who already for some decades incorporates themes of cyborgization and other human-machine interfaces in his (very bodily) work – …
This sculpture of scientist Stephen Hawking – who is both highly intelligent as well as highly dependent on technology – is our peculiar image of the week. Created by by Dinos …
We usually just click 'Ok' on every update request, but perhaps the one proposed in this religiously uncanny video by Doctor AlexXross needs a bit more contemplation?
Much attention has recently been devoted to 'gay' animals. It's not the fact that many species have enthusiastic homosexual lives that should be surprising – there are convincing …
The idea of altering your body for aesthetic purposes is still somewhat frowned upon today. But more than because the very idea of improving yourself, this is about its …
So we know now that we can embed the traces of our every day lives in our clothes . Well, some might find this strategy unsatisfying and would like to embed the traces of their …
Anyone who ever saw an x-ray picture of himself will probably recognise the uncanny feeling of staring at your own skull or bones and being confronted by one of nature’s grim …
Where religions promise their believers a life after death and cryonics also needs a kind of belief in future technological development, designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau …
Technology is evolving us, says cyborg anthropologist Amber Case in her 8 minutes of TED . We become a screen-staring, button-clicking new version of homo sapiens, relying on …
Lady Gaga is famous for fashion that exaggerates or obscures her body, but a few months ago, she made a foray into 'actual' body-modification. Gaga appeared on Jay Leno's talk …
Researchers are working on a language and a device that will help humans and dolphins talk with each other. Denise Herzing , a researcher and founder of the Wild Dolphin Project …
As the name suggests, Birthmarks Tattoos , are fake - but permanent - birthmarks that you can add to your body. Aside from its decorative potential, Birthmarks Tattoo makes it …
In the short movie Blinky, on a boy and his robot, director Ruari Robinson reflects on our daily dealings with technology and its risks. Alex is a child growing up in a family …
Lucy McRae uses spandex to deterritorialize the body. #powershow #bodyart http://bit.ly/th7KyR
Recent work of artist Jalila Essaïdi exemplifies of how science and art can meet and create meaningful inventions for society. Jalila Essaïdi used the spider silk produced by …
City rats, it seems, prefer the same foods that humans do: Greasy, fatty, sweet, and salty. Although rats are usually seen as the billy goats of city life, ready to chow down on …
Back in 2009 Rob Spence, a cyborg film maker, worked together with a team of ocularists, inventors, engineering specialists on a prosthetic eye which can capture and stream video. …
If a light switch would be hairy or snotty nobody would want to turn on the light anymore, which is exactly why designer Katrin Baumgarten created some of the most one nauseating …
Do cars have a face? You would be inclined to say yes immediately. And you would be right as well, because they do. Study has confirmed through a complex statistical analysis that …
In cities across Germany, Big Brother looks like a smiley face. The Fühlometer, a piece by Julius von Bismarck, Benjamin Maus, and Richard Wilhelmer, uses security cameras and …
Artistic duo Robococo, aka Petra Gemeinboeck and Rob Saunders, have embedded a group of autonomous robots in the walls of a gallery. Wielding hammers and creepy electronic eyes, …
As a gamer, I come across many visions of possible futures. But this trailer from the upcoming video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution , the third part in the Deus Ex series shocked …
The human body as an instrument is a cool example of how culture and nature are merging. Calvin Harris used a giant human synthesizer to perform his single. The material used is …
Always wanted a pair of kitten ears to express your feelings to the world? Well, you probably never thought of that – as you have to be a Japanese genius to come up with such an …
Our peculiar image of the week is not what it seems. Rather than a man with a gigantic chicken on a leash, you are looking at a normal chicken with an incredibly shrunken man …
In twenty years , the mobile phone has become man's closest utensil. Can you imagine living without this umbilical box? Too bad it's often still a box that we hold to our ears... …
At the 2011 Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, a photograph of a flesh-and-blood woman advertises a RealDoll, the life-sized sex mannequin made for people with a fetish for …
For other entries and an introduction to the 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design, click here. People have evolutionarily built-in mechanisms that help us to …
For past entries and an introduction to the 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design, click here. What people experience as anthropomorphic is highly personal. Tests have …
If Neanderthals ever walk the earth again, the primordial ooze from which they will rise is an emulsion of oil, water, and DNA capture beads engineered in the laboratory of 454 …
Earlier we've posted the Bulletproof Skin , now here is the Skin Gun : a stem cell spray gun used to heal burn victims. It is up to you – dear intelligent readers – to image if …
Tweenbots are small robots that depend on the kindness of strangers. They are only able to move straight forward and do this constantly. Once they get stuck in a hole or at a …
It has been a trend for people to grow taller and taller during the evolution. When people get taller, they will need more energy, food and space. Since the human population is …
Recently, a video clip has been circulating the web that purportedly shows a rabbit born earless due to the radiation at Fukushima. BoingBoing has a convincing take-down of the …
I've noticed DNA spray notices springing up around Amsterdam. I assumed it was a fairly standard anti-theft device: A crime is committed, a little nozzle is activated by the …
The definition of the noosphere as "the sphere of human thought on earth" is woefully anthropocentric. It ignores that fact that our fellow sentient organisms have noospheres of …
Scientists in China have created transgenic cows that produce 'human' milk. The researchers boosted the fat content of the milk and added three types of proteins, unique to …
Did you know that phones were once used for calling up our (human) friends? Researching the beginning of it all, we came accross demo video's on the cloud called "internet" where …
Japanese professor Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University has quite a track record of threading the uncanny valley. Remember his Doppelgänger Robot and Geminoid Female ? His …
...that has been designed already. Peculiar baby of the week. Source: Adbusters , via: Masters of Rietveld .
Like with pets and babies, we seem to like it when devices mimic our behaviour and social patterns. In the process of domesticating technology, we teach products to behave like …
Clothing giant H&M no longer uses real humans in its online catalog. The company has admitted that it pastes real models' heads on computer-generated bodies. At least there's …
Artist Arne Hendriks explores the possibilities and implications of downsizing the human species to better fit the earth.
Remember those long gone times when babies were delivered by white storks ? Today they are simply downloaded into mom's belly. How superhandy! Apparently every era creates its own …
Researchers in the US have been shocked to discover a beluga whale whose vocalisations were remarkably close to human speech.
You may want to spend 24-minutes on this Close Personal Friend. Made in 1996, this film anticipates contemporary phenomena like social media and self-branding.
Could you imagine yourself having QR-code freckles, or a chlorophyl skin? Dutch artist Marcia Nolte visualises these kind of speculative scenarios in a very non-spectacular yet …
Same article , different example: Water Powered JetPack by Jetlev . (Thanks: Marlies Peeters)
Why turn to implants when the female body can do it by itself? Dutch designer Femke Mosch came up with the idea of making edible implants that stimulate breast growth from within.
Designer, artist and engineer Dan Chen has developed the ' End of Life Care Machine ', a machine designed to guide and comfort dying patients with a carefully scripted message. …
Dutch mechanical-engineer Jarnos Smeets dreams of flying like bird. Nothing new really, many people have had this dream for ages. Yet being an engineer and all, Jarnos is seriously propelling his dream towards a reality.
Filmmaker Jesse Rosten shows his critical views on body standards by presenting the exclusive beauty breakthrough Fotoshop by Adobé. This revolutionary product features pro-pixel …
The increasing ‘liveliness’ of machines and accessibility to the virtual world has raised questions about whether it is possible to uncouple the mind from the body in through a …
So this is what you get when artists Lucyandbart practice their low-tech plastic surgery techniques on visitors of the MU gallery in Eindhoven. We are clueless on whether it was …
The uncanny valley, a phrase coined by Japanese robotic researcher Masahiro Mori nearly three decades ago, describes the uncanny feeling that occurs when people look at …
An ingenious Russian crow that used a lid as a snowboard to slide down a snowy roof persuaded millions of YouTube viewers that animals are not merely beasts of burden – they also …
In Ngogo, Gombe and elsewhere in Africa, bands of male chimpanzees regularly make organized raids on neighboring troops and batter their enemies to death. These grim, warring …
Dolphins in Port Adelaide, Australia, have been observed performing a remarkable trick : tail-walking, a trait so rare it has only been seen in the wild one other time. More …
Should made-to-order babies become a reality in the near future, one piece of the design puzzle has been solved now Pantone has release their SkinTone system. Indexing 110 skin …
Besides children and pets , it turns out that pigs are also attracted to interactive interfaces. Pig Chase is a computer game in which pigs and people can play together. The aim …
Feeling grumpy and hungry? Unfortunately, the University of Tokyo's Happiness Counter refrigerator won't open up until you give it a big smile. The concept is based on the fact …
There's a new threat to the world's unemployed. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a robot that helps to organize shop inventories, making that trip to the …
Tokyo University of Electro-Communications , revealed SHIRI (? = "buttocks"), a "Buttocks Humanoid That Represents Emotions With Visual and Tactual Transformation of the Muscles." …
For past entries and an introduction to the 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design, click here. Think about a spoon. Now think about a spoon with a face. What do you …
For past entries and an introduction to the 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design, click here. When a product imitates animal behavior, the strict social rules …
For past entries and an introduction to the 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design, click here. People expect many things from each other: Expect them to say hi in the …
Anthropomorphic products enter the human social space. Humans have the most complex social behavior of any organism on Earth. Anyone or anything trying to join in should be careful to do it right.
Cake or death? Cake! The Slice cake is a (vegetarian) vision of the forms lab-grown meat may take in the future.
Functional multi-tool manicure. Comes in handy at a party where you can't find a bottle opener. Peculiar image of the week. Unfortunately, neither the human responsible for the …
The Singularity , as popularized by Ray Kurtzweil, refers to a near term, theoretical time when machine intelligence greatly surpasses our own. At this point we will experience a …
Nissan’s Engineers Are Creepily Trying To Replicate Human Skin
You all probably know the ' Twitter implant ' from the Nano Supermarket . Scientist at the University of Princeton now created the first working prototype. The implant is actually …
Computer-controlled players in video games can usually be spotted for their repetitive, illogical or unemotional behavior. Unlike humans, non-player characters (NPCs) don't get …
The boundary between humans and machines is slowly but steadily blurring. The Immortal is a machine which exists out of several life-support machines connected with wires and electric cords.
Heather Dewey-Hagborg just needs a strand of your hair to know what you look like.
An showcase of what we are currently capable of installing in human beings.
Ever played "telephone" or "chinese whispers" as a kid? Now, you can pit your speech recognition skills against a computer.
It’s long been a desire of the human species to have complete control over our own thoughts. We’ve all had these moments where we curse our brain. Asking questions like: “Why …
Pair-bonding sets humans apart from our relatives. But where did it come from?
A new kind of piezotronic transistor mesh could make for robotic skin that’s as sensitive as your own is, covered in thousands of tiny mechanical hairs.
Kate Darling argues that society needs to update its ethical landscape to include thinking machines.
QR and barcode tattoos turn an artist's body into a business card.
Surgery for a cute, cheerful duckface – permanently.
Solving the world's population crisis by replacing human infants with aquatic creatures.
A Chinese inventor created a $24,500 robot from junkyard scraps.
A stem cell experiment with mice may one day mean that same-sex couples could have bio children.
What does Barbie look like when she has the proportions of a normal 19-year-old?
Hendriks’s activity explores the positive transformative power of creative impulses and the importance of fundamental free scientific research.
Imagine the devastation when there are more Lego minifigs on Earth than humans...
Artist Maja Smrekar modified yeast with her own DNA to produce human lactic acid.
Interview with our own Koert van Mensvoort in the IKON Television Documentary 'Paradise Reset' on the future of human nature.
The Alternative Limb Project makes beautifully fake artificial limbs.
Once common, statue-loving has disappeared from the sexual landscape.
Heard a loud clanking noise as I reached my apartment. This is what I saw.
3D printed organs are on the way. Could they be designed to be aesthetically appealing?
Looking back on the first recorded attack on a human cyborg.
Buckle up for another cinematic espresso shot from our favorite performance philosopher Jason Silva.
Human test subjects felt empathy for dinosaur robots being cuddled or abused.
Workers are completely controlled by algorithms in Amazon's fulfillment center
Historian Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a journey through the whole human history.
Buckle up for some tracking technologies beyond the beyond.Buckle up for some tracking technologies beyond the beyond.
Warning, this video on the impact of automation on human labor might cause you to re-plot you professional career.
Meet Humanity beyond Race, it's Beautiful
The '50s robot band, Le Trio Fantastique, is exemplary of human distant longing for technology that integrates with our body and senses, to the point of taking our place!
Science Fiction taught us to think of robots as human-like beings, yet the robots that actually make it into your home are more likely to look like furniture.
People have complex relationships with their own (and other’s) bodies. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is believed that your feet are a map of your body and can provide …
Buckle up for a new video from our favorite performance philosopher Jason Silva: To Be Human Is To Be Transhuman.
Thanks to 3D Babies and a mere $600,- you can now experience that excitement of holding your baby in your hands before he or she is born.
Super Mario is now able to learn and feel in the confines of his 8-bit universe.
Ever feel the need to hear two digital mountains read your tweets aloud with deep and sonorous voices?
Robots can already read, talk and reason. Yet, they do not seem to have found limits to their artistic skills either. Meet DOUG_1, first the drawing robot.
Turning a normal stroll through the supermarket into a psychedelic dream (or nightmare) of algorithmic pareidolia.
Just a project for now, but a far more creative way to deal with unsightly public works than tree-shaped antennas.
While the Watson technology is exponentially increasing its processing power on an annual basis and steadily moving from answering trivia questions, to cooking advice, onto medical advice, it is about time we confront it with the million dollar question: "Watson, what do you want?".
The Campaign Against Sex Robots, recently launched, is pushing towards banning the continuation of sex robots development.
A musical robot able to improvise a jazz solo in response to an actual person performing jazz.
Japanese fashion brand Buyma created this video with a wink, wherein drones play a crucial role.
From chef, to nurse, and also lover. Get ready, a new generation of robots is going to invade our lives!
Hydroceramic: a composite material able to lower the temperature of an interior space by five degrees Celsius.
Over the past decade scientists have tried to get technology surfaces to be as sensitive as our skin, especially as our fingertips. Human tact is a very sophisticate interface …
A futuristic Japanese hotel will be run by robots, designed to be extremely human-like.
The SkinBook is made of synthetic skin that allows beginner tattooists to practice their skills.
Dystopian future scenarios filled with evil robots are everywhere. We are afraid of robots treating us badly, but what will happen if it'll be the other way around? According to …
It is the era of smart toys, but they certainly raise difficult questions for parents.
Artists respond to biometric technology and data collecting software through subversive projects.
Begging ghetto blasters in Utrecht are making you question poverty.
Would you vote for an artificial intelligence to govern our society?
This Instagram model makes her fans wondering whether she is fake or real.
This year, on April 6th, a baby was born with three genetic parents: two mothers and one father.
The eggplant emoji became a political weapon and gain cult status being the forbidden fruit of the web.
An Australian study has shown the use of lifelike robot babies increased teen pregnancy, rather than discouraging it.
The penguin jumper is designed by the Penguin Foundation, an organization that rescues penguins on the Australian coast who are hit by oils spills.
While robots are becoming more and more human, with all their sensors and information processing abilities, may it be likely that they too could develop mental illnesses?
A Bricklaying Robot builds low-cost houses in just two days.
The new mythical creature hunting our imagination is called Slenderman and is born on the internet. But who is this being and how it came to be? It may just be the modern version of a much older myth.
Our cities are made out of steel and concrete. What if we replace them with wood and bone?
Take a look at this video to get an idea of what life with a virtual anime assistant would look like.
22 teams of computer scientists have unveiled a set of algorithms able to predict the odor of different molecules based on their chemical structure. Computers learn how humans smell
Barbie has been turned into a hologram version of herself and will now be your kids assistend.
Artist Lauren McCarthy launched a project called LAUREN in which she embodies a eponymous human smart home assistant.
An "electronic personhood" for robots has been discussed in the European Parliament recently, raising big questions about equality, citizenship, legal and ironically, human rights for artificial intelligent machines.
The Punishment is an installation featuring a robotic arm that mimics a kid's handwriting perfectly, and repetitively writes "I must not hurt humans".
A smart, huggable bed partner, who also improves your sleep quality. Sounds great, right? Soon, you might be able to order one yourself: Somnox is a soft robotic pillow that gently breathes as you hold it.
The Brazilian model Paola Antonini uses her Instagram to show off her prosthetic limb.
Sophia the Humanoid, a human-like robot in appearance and mannerisms, was granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia and became the first robot with citizenship.
A rosy-cheeked kid learns her first words, cries when her babysitter leaves, smiles when she’s happy, but she’s not real. BabyX is an AI research-in-progress by a company named Soul Machines.
Robot Sophia is pretty much the international face of the ‘modern robot’. Sophia is the Audrey Hepburn-inspired humanoid robot who stands out for multiple reasons. She is the …
Pleun van Dijk is a speculative artist/designer who investigates the intimate relationship between human and technology.