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About

Alexander Diel is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction, best known for his transformative work on the uncanny valley effect—the unsettling feeling people experience when encountering highly realistic artificial entities. His landmark 2021 meta-analysis (91 citations) systematically examined the independent and dependent variables in uncanny valley research, providing the first comprehensive synthesis of a fragmented field. Diel’s most provocative contribution challenges the long-standing N-shaped cubic model of the uncanny valley, arguing instead for a more parsimonious moderated linear function where perceptual specialization increases the uncanniness of facial distortions (2024, 12 citations). This theoretical reframing has significant implications for designing trustworthy android robots and virtual characters. Beyond the uncanny valley, Diel investigates how androids can express complex emotions and cognitive states, including a pioneering 2025 study showing that androids can produce facial expressions for complex emotions, and a 2024 work examining the “thinking face” as a signal for conveying internal cognitive processing. His research bridges perceptual psychology, affective computing, and robotics, offering practical insights for creating more natural, comfortable human-robot interactions.