The 145-year-old Vatican pharmacy has a new hire: a state-of-the-art robot working behind the scenes to manage the stockroom, retrieve medications and deliver the drugs quickly to the sales floor. The Vatican, which claims to have the busiest pharmacy in the world, recently adopted the new automated system by the Germany-based BD Rowa firm. The Read more
A 400-year-old temple in Japan is attempting to hot-wire interest in Buddhism with a robotic priest it believes will change the face of the religion – despite critics comparing the android to “Frankenstein’s monster”. The android Kannon, based on the Buddhist deity of mercy, preaches sermons at Kodaiji temple in Kyoto. Read more
Seniors in search of some high-tech companionship may find comfort in a small robot that can listen to them and read relevant scripture. SanTO is a foot-and-a-half tall robot resembles the sort of altar or figurine a Catholic may use to decorate their home. But it’s equipped with software it uses to listen to people, scan their faces Read more
In Japan, a plastic moulding company called Nissei Eco is planning to introduce SoftBank’s Pepper robot as a cheaper substitute for human priests reading sutras at Buddhist funerals. Pepper is the first humanoid robot capable of recognising the principal human emotions and adapting his behaviour to the mood of his interlocutor. Continue reading