Hatsune Miku even had a live concert -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy8w6pMsuUQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2egumdBwsgWNYC's fundraising drive just ended, but they played a clip from Radio Lab ALOT during those weeks that talked about the
uncanny valley. No one has yet to jump the valley and achieve full believability, but in the case of Hatsune Miku- do you even need to cross it? The Muppets had a worldwide popularity unsurpassed by any other inorganic creature, while the whole time all adults knew they were just puppets. There's the Gorillaz too - we all know it's a fake band, but the substance behind the front keeps us coming back for more.
Are the robot designers (or video game designers) too obsessed with matching reality and believability?