10 EXPERIENCE

20 TRANQUILITY

30 GOTO 10

The future is now, old men. A Japanese company, Nissei Eco, has written a program for SoftBank’s Pepper robot. And that software makes it possible for Pepper to perform a Buddhist funeral.

As Japan’s population has gotten older and began dying off and shrinking overall, monks have seen less in the way of community financial support. This, in turn, has led many of the monks to get jobs outside of their normal duties just to make ends meet. The point of such a robot would be to stand in for a priest during times when he couldn’t perform such duties.

The robot’s lower cost per funeral could definitely be a factor for it. The question is, will people accept SoftBank’s Pepper presiding over grandpa’s funeral services?

About Author

B. Simmons

Based out of Glendale California, Bryan is a GAMbIT’s resident gaming contributor. Specializing in PC and portable gaming, you can find Bryan on his 3DS playing Monster Hunter or at one of the various conventions throughout the state.

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