Meet The Cutest Robots In The World

The "uncanny valley" is a term you'll hear roboticists throw out from time to time.

It gets at the idea that robots are most appealing to us when they either look nothing like a human (a disembodied robot arm, for example) or when they look exactly like a human. The "valley" is that nebulous in-between phase where a robot's physical appearance strives for and falls short of imitating that of a flesh-and-blood person. It's creepy and unsettling.

We rounded up some of the most physically reassuring robots there are. Some are soft and fluffy, others have big eyes that instantly register to us as cute.

Each one has been used for a variety of different purposes, but they all have one thing in common: Widespread appeal to the humans they may one day be working and "living" alongside.