Japan is leading the way. SoftBank, a Japanese multinational telecommunications and Internet corporation, has programmed its Pepper robot to perform Japanese Buddhist funerals.

That can only mean it’s just a matter of time that robots will be saying prayers over dead bodies all over the world. Japan has been a tech leader for decades.

Pepper demonstrated its ability to perform Buddhist funeral rites at the recent Tokyo Int’l Funeral & Cemetery Show. 

SoftBank said Pepper and other robots can cut the cost of a funeral service by thousands of dollars.  

Robots performing funerals may sound like a turn off now to many of us, but I can honestly say  I am not fan of religious leaders talking about the dearly departed as if they were close friends. I hate that. Funerals are time to truly reflect. I don’t want phony presentations. 

Read more about this in Mashable.

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