Table 1 Robot face categories, their implications, examples and features
From: Robotic Faciality: The Philosophy, Science and Art of Robot Faces
| Robot face | Appearance | Implications | Examples | McCloud’s distinctions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realistic face | Naturalistic, identifiable android face | Creates a confusion between the living and non-living. Robot rights? Tend to evaluate virtue in human terms. | Blade Runner replicants; Synths in Humans; Sophia; Harmony; Geminoids; Bina48 | Realistic |
| Symbolic face | Geometrically arranged features move across a smooth surface | Animation expresses basic emotions and affects. Plays down resemblance or reference. References abstraction in art | Kismet; Mexi; MiRAE | Iconic and Abstract |
| Blank face | Minimalistic or hidden facial features | Lack of facial features on a moving head and body allows the interactant to read identity and emotion into the absent visage. | Robot and Frank; Asimo | Iconic |
| Mask face | Immobile face with distinctive facial features | Face has recognisable features but lacks mechanical animation | Nao; Pepper; C3PO | Iconic and Abstract |
| Tech face | Comprised of electrical and mechanical components | Face of electroechanical components fetishises technology itself. Low modality distances robot from human values of virtue. | Robby the Robot; Nam June Paik’s Robot K-456. Willow Garage PR2; | Iconic and Abstract |
| Screen face | Appears as an animation on a screen | Face appears on a computer screen, invoking the history and conventions of cinematic and digital animation | Stelarc’s Prosthetic head; FutureRobot’s FURO | Realistic/Iconic |
| No face | Robot body has no distinct head or face | Body becomes facial. Ambiguous identity. | R2D2, Tug (hospital porter) | Abstract |