World

'Deceased' robot dogs get genuine Buddhist send-off in Japan

04 May 2018 - 09:41 By TimesLIVE
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Kofukuji temple chief priest Bungen Oi holds a Sony's pet robot AIBO after a robots' funeral at the Kofukuji temple in Isumi, Chiba on April 26, 2018. More than a hundred robot dogs from different years were sitting next to each other in Japan -- it was not for a tech fair but for their "funeral".
Kofukuji temple chief priest Bungen Oi holds a Sony's pet robot AIBO after a robots' funeral at the Kofukuji temple in Isumi, Chiba on April 26, 2018. More than a hundred robot dogs from different years were sitting next to each other in Japan -- it was not for a tech fair but for their "funeral".
Image: Nicolas Datiche / AFP

Losing a cherished pet can be one of the saddest moments in your life but does that apply if your pet is a robot?

In Japan, a memorial was held at a Buddhist temple for 114 "deceased" Aibo robotic dogs, the Guardian reported.

The ceremony is performed similarly as it would for humans. Priests in traditional robes burned incense, chanted sutras and prayed for the souls of the robotic animals. 

One of the priests, Bungen Oi, says the robotic dogs should be treated the same way as living beings.

“All things have a bit of soul,” he said.

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