Masahiro Mori (森 政弘, Mori Masahiro, 1927 – 12 January 2025) was a Japanese roboticist noted for his pioneering work in the fields of robotics and automation, his research achievements in humans' emotional responses to non-human entities, as well as for his views on religion.
In 1970, Mori published "Bukimi No Tani" (不気味の谷 The Uncanny Valley) in Energy.
The observation led Mori to the belief that robot builders should not attempt to make their creations overly lifelike in appearance and motion.
That's the message of Robocon, too: To not be self-centered, but to love others and share the joy of creating wonderful things.
"[1] Mori was later president of the Mukta Research Institute, which he founded in Tokyo in order to promote his views on religion and robots.