Line #52 Main/RidiculouslyHumanRobots


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5	[[quoteright:348:[[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bender_smoking.jpg]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:348:He needs the alcohol for powering his batteries.\
7	[[SmokingIsCool The cigars make him look cool.]]]]
8
9	->''"Whoever put her together made her a little too realistic... Who wants a weapon that sulks!?"''
10	-->-- '''Junpei''', ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}: The Answer''
11
12	{{Robot}}s in television -- particularly comedic television -- are usually human-like in ways that very few sane programmers would deem useful. It can be something as simple as being philosophical (wanting to understand human emotion, wondering if they [[OurSoulsAreDifferent have a soul]], etc.), but can extend to such things as robot social cliques, robot food, robot entertainment, robot religion, and even [[{{Sexbot}} robot sex]]. It doesn't matter if it makes no sense in the context of a mechanical servant, or even if it's truly undesirable, the designers have [[PersonalityChip put it in there]] for [[MadScientist some twisted reason]]. This will often take the form of having a robot that looks, "thinks" (or at least processes input) and behaves ''exactly'' like a human.
13
14	The degree to which this is actually "ridiculous" varies depending on the setting. In some cases they get a free pass -- it may be that an intelligence, artificial or not, ''needs'' to be vaguely human-like in its basic outlines, with emotions, interests, motivations, et cetera simply to be functional for certain tasks, such as those requiring a great deal of long-term autonomy. It may be that robots ''need'' to think like humans to understand human concepts such as ethics and morality, and thus refrain from -- to quote VideoGame/DwarfFortress players -- [[UnusualEuphemism Fun]] activities such as [[VideoGame/UniversalPaperclips trying to turn all matter in the Universe into paperclips]]. It may be, if human intelligence itself is merely an evolved set of functions held together in an evolved psychological architecture, that any society with sufficiently ubiquitous and flexible automation [[MechanicalEvolution will necessarily have the means to produce something human-like]]. It may be that emotions, desires, and curiosity are unavoidable side-effects of full sentience, or it may simply be that humans prefer {{Sexbot}}s to [[PersonalityChip not behave like automated teller machines]]. Whatever serves the needs of the well-reasoned plot or setting. In these cases, Ridiculously Human Robots make sense.
15
16	However, it's rare that a series explicitly spells this out, as, ultimately, most authors and [[{{Worldbuilding}} worldbuilders]] adopt this trope because a few illogical design choices are a small price to pay for keeping robotic characters out of the creepy UncannyValley. In fact, these [[SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence human-like]] {{A\|rtificialIntelligence}}Is are often put right up next to similar, yet [[TheStoic seemingly emotionless equivalents]] that function perfectly.
17
18	A corollary to this is that robots are comfortable in their own oddball version of society, and consider human conventions and practices bizarre and silly. You'd think they would be programmed to be familiar with human behavior, and find it perfectly normal. Robots from places without humans, who are exempt from this complaint, curiously tend to adapt to human customs faster.
19
20	{{Tin Can Robot}}s cannot by definition have a Ridiculously Human Appearance like some examples, but may fit on the "Ridiculously Human Personality" part of the equation.
21
22	For an alternative, see PickYourHumanHalf. Interestingly, there will usually be at least one character (or society in general) who insists it's "JustAMachine".
23
24	See also InstantAIJustAddWater, SuperPoweredRobotMeterMaids, {{Fembot}}, RidiculouslyAliveUndead, and RobotGirl. Compare and contrast with ArtificialHuman, RobotMe, or MechanicalLifeforms. The more human-like ones are sometimes an EatingMachine and may indulge in RoboRomance. May become subject to a RoboticReveal if the robot looks ridiculously human enough to pass as one. Expect the reveal to have some {{squick}} if it's done via means like an UnusualUserInterface. Contrast DeceptivelyHumanRobots, for when the apparent humanity is only skin deep. Also contrast MechanicalMonster, where it is completely inhuman in both psychology and appearance. The inverse on nearly every level of CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul. Contrast ForgotHeWasARobot and StarfishRobots.
25
26	----
27	!!Example subpages
28
29	[[index]]
30	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/AnimeAndManga
31	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/ComicBooks
32	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/{{Film}}
33	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/{{Literature}}
34	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/LiveActionTV
35	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/VideoGames
36	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/{{Webcomics}}
37	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots/WesternAnimation
38	[[/index]]
39
40	!!Other examples
41	[[foldercontrol]]
42
43	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
44	* The robots in ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' act more like humans than anything, to the point that the only thing really distinguishing them from the actual humans is 1. their appearance (sometimes), and 2. the fact that some robots, including the heroes themselves, like to drink oil.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Fan Works]]
48	* ''Fanfic/ADipInTheInkwell'': The oneshot "Powering Down for the Night" focuses on one of Oona's Oonabots, who assisted her in an ''Series/OddSquad'' Training Video covering the repair of Oonabots. Said Oonabot gives herself the name "Ona", acts like a MamaBear to Oscar's own twenty-five Oscarbots, and generally acts more human than the other two Oonabots.
49	* ''Fanfic/AreYouThereGodItsMeShouta'': For Class 1-A's two-week EggSitting project, the support class makes robot babies that are so realistic they can cry for hours, [[EatingMachine eat]], throw up, pee, and poop, much to the chagrin of the students who actually have to take care of them. Kirishima thinks it's payback for all the times they were bothered with last-minute costume adjustments.
50	* ''Fanfic/InvaderZimABadThingNeverEnds'': Between their state of the art AI and their HardLight disguises to make them look human, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Aldrich Coathanger']]s MechaMooks are virtually indistinguishable from normal people.
51	* In ''Fanfic/{{Marionettes}}'', it turns out that [[spoiler:Trixie turns out to be one, as does Lightning Dust and Diamond Tiara, something they were unaware of.]] Justified as [[spoiler:they seem to have been created to imitate ponies on purpose.]]
52	* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', Ash's Pokédex starts out with [[DeadpanSnarker a]] [[InsufferableGenius very]] [[SourSupporter special]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold personality]], which only seems to grow more and more human as the story progresses.
53	%%* ''Fanfic/SteelSoulSaga'': What Sweetie Belle is, and even she didn't know it. She gets a RoboticReveal in the first story.
54	* ''Fanfic/ThereWasOnceAnAvengerFromKrypton'':
55	** Life Model Decoys are confirmed to exist in this universe, having been invented by Howard Stark after the Kennedy assassination, but with the concept eventually being abandoned due to how prone the [=LMDs=] are to breaking down as a result of their complexity. Doctor Doom later stole some and perfected the tech to create his [[ActuallyADoombot Doombots]].
56	** [[WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot Jenny Wakeman]] also exists in this universe, [[spoiler:and the reason that she's so much more advanced than her "sisters" is that she's actually a Cluster superweapon that Nora stole before Vexus could activate her.]]
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Manhua]]
60	* Milan from ''Manhua/MyBelovedMother'', who serves as the robot mother of the RaisedByRobots protagonist Sinbell, behaves way more like a human than a robot, including having emotions and compassion (at one point telling Sinbell "you came from mommy's tummy!" after Sinbell tries asking where he's from) despite her mechanical exterior. The UnroboticReveal at the end sheds some light behind her origin - it turns out Sinbell's biological mother, Aya, gave up her life to save him from a gas explosion, and before she dies, request for her mind to be transferred into an android, the prototype caretaker Milan.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Manhwa]]
64	* From ''Manhwa/MetalHeart'' Sia and the other EA units. They think they are the characters from the game and don't even know that they themselves are robots.
65	%%* Chevrolet from ''3 Level Combination''.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Music]]
69	* Music/JanelleMonae's Metropolis is based around an android named Cindi Mayweather who falls in love with a human.
70	* KILROY of Music/TheProtomen is so human-like you'd swear he was wearing a mask.
71	** [[Music/{{Styx}} Wait...]]
72	* Music/DoctorSteel has a robot band. Which malfunction on his Propaganda DVD, but finally work in his video for "Childhood Don't A-Go-Go". [[spoiler:At least in miniature...]]
73	* ''Music/{{Vocaloid}}'' is a series of computer programs meant to imitate human voices, and the general consensus is that in-universe they qualify as these. It doesn't help that their personality varies with their song writers.
74	* The popular Vocaloid song "Kokoro" is about a female android (portrayed by Kagamine Rin) who receives a "heart", allowing her to feel emotions. [[spoiler:The undue stress it afflicts on her body causes her to tragically die by the end of the song.]]
75	* Jimmy The Robot of Music/TheAquabats can express emotions, like love and snarkiness, and is a talented keyboardist.
76	* The bots of Music/SteamPoweredGiraffe have distinct personalities, and are shaped and sound very much like humans. The latter point is justified, since the "bots" are played by humans in heavy makeup.
77	%%* Mentioned in the ''Music/{{Monstercat}}'' Song "Toothless Hawkins and his Robot Jazz Band"
78	* In the video for Music/PoetsOfTheFall's [[https://youtu.be/MKk1u5RMTn4?list=PLjACqN5i5sDWIIpg-5EB4WcitMMqnXhFP "Carnival of Rust,"]] singer Zoltar, a SadClown fortunetelling automaton with peeling paint stuck in a glass case, is nonetheless very human in appearance (as played by vocalist Marko Saaresto) and psychology. He's obviously depressed and LoveHungry in the extreme, hoping to escape the [[CircusOfFear Carnival]], and his ObsessionSong is a desperate bid for the love of his customer, that he might be free. He [[HostileAnimatronics beats the walls]] of his case and sheds a SingleTear when his attempt fails.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:New Media]]
82	* Utauloids can go even farther with this, not just with design and personality, but with voice quality, since the Utau program uses recorded-voice wav files. And thanks to VCV[[note]]Vowel + Consonant + Vowel. Normal voicebanks are CV for Consonant + Vowel, which coincides with the way Japanese syllables work (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, etc, one wav file for all instances in all songs). VCV records 6 different versions of all syllables, one for each leading vowel sound (a ka, e ka, i ka, u ka, o ka, n ka). People using the Utauloid use Utau to fade the syllables together using default options.[[/note]] voicebanks, a song by an Utauloid can sometimes sound ''completely indistinguishable from a human singer''. Notably on this issue, Teto's voicebank has been known for sounding genuinely robotic, yet she also has a VCV voicebank which some people prefer.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Roleplay]]
86	* The Warforged in {{Roleplay/QDNDOS}} qualify as this, down to the ability to convince even their 'family' that they're regular humans/elves/biological creatures. Apparently, this even extends to the ability to reproduce.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
90	* Warforged in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'''s ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' setting apply, though they're half-robot-half-golem... thingies. They were originally created to be warriors, and unexpectedly developed the capacity for emotion and self-awareness. Some later material implied their supposed creators at least partly reverse-engineered them from relics found in Xen'drik, which given the history of that continent would allow several possibilities for why a constructed race capable of emotion and self-awareness would be desired.
91	* The Androids in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' have human biological needs, benefit from Healing magic, and possess souls. They even age and die like humans, whereupon their soul is released to the afterlife and their body restored to the "factory default" with a new soul.
92	** This trope was the intention, with the creator race wanting to play God and see if they could create life, as their technology was absolutely capable of creating androids that didn't need to eat or sleep. The fact that their creations were so perfect they were capable of attaining a soul, which is a measurable concept in-universe, would appear to be the epitome of success. Of course, that makes it complicated for those that wanted to use the Androids as a servant class.
93	** ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'', having the same setting but in the far future, has androids that are much the same and even have attained [[AndroidsArePeopleToo civil rights]]. However, these ones are effectively immortal unless and until they choose to release their soul and allow a new one into their body (essentially, reproducing).
94	** Starfinder also has Sentient Robotic Organisms (S.R.O.s), which are mentally similar to androids (complete with [[SoulPower souls]] and free will), but appear much less humanoid and much more mechanical from the outside.
95	* Wave Form Androids in ''TabletopGame/NewHorizon'', more commonly known as Wafans. Oddly, the rulebook explicitly states that they're people, not robots... [[HypocriticalHumor before then going on to explain the artificial objects that form the core of their intellectual abilities.]] Granted, they're apparently "not made in factories." Whatever that means.
96	* Unfleshed in ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'' are machines given sentience and will by the Divine Fire, Azoth. As Azoth is born from human will and desire, no matter the form of the machine, it is sculpted into a human form when the Azoth takes hold. Among the sample Unfleshed is a mass of nanotechnology (which calls itself "Legion") and a gun-carrier SUV, both of which were reshaped into human simulacrums on being brought to life.
97	* ''TabletopGame/OpsAndTactics'' has synthetics, with their positronic brains being capable of having the same thought processes and feelings as organic beings, with "Robot" being considered a FantasticSlur due to that. They can also have a body that looks and even feels the same as that of an organic being.
98	** Notably, they co-exist with [[ArtificialIntelligence AI units]], which ''aren't'' considered to be people at all.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Theatre]]
102	* Karel Capek's play ''Theatre/{{RUR}}'' (which coined the very term "robot") probably created this trope. Ironically, the "robots" in the play are not truly robots in the way modern culture views them. Modern science would likely call them [[OrganicTechnology biological robots]] or {{Artificial Human}}s. That being said, the robots are mass-produced with every piece built and put together like a car on a factory line. At one point, the characters are discussing how human the robots are:
103	-->'''Helena:''' Doctor, has Radius a soul?\
104	'''Dr. Gall:''' I don't know. He's got something nasty.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Web Animation]]
108	* Lopez of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', despite being a robot and knowing it, is pretty much as well-rounded as any other character, with obvious emotions and ambitions (creating a robot army to conquer the world, being part of a freaky robot love triangle... with another robot, in the form of a tank, etc.). All of the AIs shown are similarly well-rounded, although that's justified by them being created from an "impression" of a human mind, complete with residual memories and emotions. In fact, they're human enough that two lived for many years without showing any sign that they weren't flesh-and-blood humans. [[spoiler:Except for the whole, you know, being ghosts thing.]]
109	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Despite being fully synthetic, Penny is human enough to have emotions and a soul, allowing her to use an Aura. She is the first artificially created being on Remnant capable of generating an Aura.
110	* In the season one finale of ''WebAnimation/BeeAndPuppycat'', [[spoiler:Bee herself is revealed to be a robot. And she appears to have always known about this.]]
111	* ''WebAnimation/RobotboxAndCactus'': Robotbox is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a robot shaped like a box]], yet is described as being able to do anything a human can (with an example being shown of him reading a newspaper and sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee), and some things humans can't.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Websites]]
115	* Parodied by ''Website/{{Cracked}} TV''. The host is an android but Michael Swaim does nothing to indicate this except introduce himself as "your host-droid Michal Swaim."
116	** Though its SpiritualSuccessor, Does Not Compute, shows Michael Swaim without his face on (revealing a Franchise/{{Terminator}} face underneath) in the opening sequence.
117	* Dr Gears of the Website/SCPFoundation [[EpilepticTrees may or may not]] be one.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Web Videos]]
121	* Although it's forced to behave, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's SexBot feels unhappiness and snarks at her plenty.
122	* In ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'' robot ponies act much like normal ones, except for their obviously mechanical voices, tendency to get stuck in loops, occasional RoboSpeak, and apparently if they learn they're robots go on destructive rampages. And, at least in the case of Sweetie Belle, their immunity to the ComedicSociopathy that other ponies possess.
123	* WebVideo/{{Kara}} is this when she's fully assembled.
124	** [[http://www.futuretimeline.net/ FutureTimeline.net]] used the video to demonstrate what [[http://www.futuretimeline.net/22ndcentury/2150-2199.htm#androids "androids physically indistinguishable from humans"]] might look like.
125	* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' has Mechakara, who is a robot wearing the skin of the Linkara from another universe. [[spoiler: He was recently revived by The Plot Hole into fully human, which he hates]]. Also, Linkara's RobotBuddy, Pollo, is pretty human in personality, if not appearance. The irony is Mechakara is the Pollo from another universe who was far less fond of his Linkara.
126	* In the WebVideo/CriticalRole one-shot ''The Nautilus Ark'', heavily inspired by films like ''Film/{{Alien}}'', [[spoiler: Forrest Coreman]] turns out to be a synth after passing as human for most of the game. The players, in fact, suspected that [[spoiler: Taliesin's character, Dr. Wiser, was the synth, only to be proven wrong when he bleeds red]].
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Real Life]]
130	%%* [[http://www.projectaiko.com/ Project Aiko]].
131	%%* [[http://news.cnet.com/japans-latest-supermodel-a-robot/ Japan's supermodel robot.]]
132	* While [[http://gizmodo.com/5145287/cloaca-no5-is-a-monster-pooping-machine this contraption]] may not look human at all, it does something you certainly didn't expect any machine to be capable of. [[note]]For those who haven't read the article, it's an elaborate robotic version of the human digestive system which [[{{squick}} is even capable of producing its own feces]].[[/note]]
133	* [[http://www.gizmag.com/us-navy-octavia-robot/15442/ Octavia]] is a Navy project to make a robot with accurate facial expressions. Its planned use is for rescue robots, which will be able to use this ability to communicate faster and more accurately with frightened humans.
134	* A certain philosophical [[http://www.asimovlaws.com/articles/archives/2004/07/why_we_need_fri_1.html current]] on TheSingularity states that any AI, potentially capable of self-improvement, that wasn't also ridiculously human (or even better, super-humane) in terms of morality and empathy would be a lot more dangerous than the whole stock of nuclear weapons on planet Earth. It makes sense... it's the difference between [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} SkyNet]] and the [[Literature/TheCulture Minds]].
135	* Robotics Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro [[http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/humanoids/hiroshi-ishiguro-the-man-who-made-a-copy-of-himself made an eerily realistic robot of himself]] that he can control remotely, using a camera to match the robot's facial expressions to his own.
136	[[/folder]]
137

Context Main / RidiculouslyHumanRobots