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from the what-happens-if-you-don't-welcome-your-new-robotic-overlords dept.
Atlas Obscura has an article on a robot programmed to perform Buddhist funeral rites.
What's the hottest new trend in robotics? It might be religion. Hot on the heels of Germany's Protestant-inspired automated blessing machine, BlessU-2, a Japanese company has unveiled a smiling automaton programmed to conduct Buddhist funerals.
Unveiled during the annual Life Ending Industry Expo in Tokyo, a funeral industry trade show, the little robot was presented by Nissei Eco Co. as an inexpensive alternative to hiring a flesh-and-blood monk. According to Reuters, the robot, a reprogrammed version of SoftBank Robotics' "Pepper" model of interactive humanoid automaton, can chant Buddhist sutras and beat a little drum to honor the dead. It can even livestream the service if needed.
Also at Reuters and The Guardian.
Youtube has a clip with the robot in action, which may give you nightmares. The robot in question is a reprogrammed SoftBank Robotics Pepper model. In related news it turns out Japan has a Life Ending Industry EXPO.
Once again Philip K Dick is proven right.
[Additional video clip by the New York Post. - Ed]
(Score: 1) by anubi on Friday August 25 2017, @10:09AM (1 child)
I find it interesting that the robot is tasked to do things at ceremonies where it is not traditional to "pass the plate".
I guarantee you that should the robot infringe on ceremonies where plate-passing is done, there are gonna be riots staged by the men of the cloth, who just lost their plate.
Unprofitable religious leader obligations will be delegated to the bless-bot.
I am not too fond of modern day spirituality that passes as religion anyway. The way I see the modern leaders do it, might as well be a bless-bot doing it anyway. Its seems the whole modern religion shebang is just running a script. One that supposedly maximizes plate currency.
Most of what I see is beggary. The supposed leaders pr{a,e}ying on the poor.
Enough to make me quite {angry, nauseous}.
I lean a lot toward the Urantia belief system. YMMV.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 25 2017, @06:39PM
Uh, reread tfa - this robot saves about 2000USD that otherwise would go to a human monk.