Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/08/25/robot-priest-to-conduct-funera.html
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If we can’t be bothered to use the living to represent the dead why bother at all?
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“Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn’t let you into heaven for?” --Roy Batty
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This is the same robot used as a guide at the Westfield Shopping Center in SF.
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where do you think the process of reincarnation happens if not at a mall? afterlife consumer choice! capitalism after death!
Meh. When it can conduct immaculate conceptions, then I’ll be impressed
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Roger That!
If it can’t clean my place - I don’t need it.
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At least now when the robots come for you (and they will), you can have insurance and a proper funeral.
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The Electric Monk was a labour-saving device, like a dishwasher or a video recorder. Dishwashers washed tedious dishes for you, thus saving you the bother of washing them yourself, video recorders watched tedious television for you, thus saving you the bother of looking at it yourself; Electric Monks believed things for you, thus saving you what was becoming an increasingly onerous task, that of believing all the things the world expected you to believe.
From Douglas Adam’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”
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Next week, the company plans to release its robot mohel, called “Pecker.”
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It’s an interesting argument. Who and what are we? I suppose that’s the real point. It makes sense to explore those questions using finality as a model.
It’s so noisy in there I end up yelling at Pepper trying to get her to understand what I’m asking. Eventually she ends up trying to show me card tricks on her tablet.
ME: Hi Pepper! Where is the Lego Store?
PEPPER: Excuse me?
ME: Where is the Lego Store, Pepper?
PEPPER: Uhm, can you repeat the question?
ME: Where is the LEGO STORE PEPPER.
PEPPER: Uhm, would you like to see a card trick??
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I saw this on the news at my office. The reaction from people over here was laughter and cringing.
Just for everyone’s info, pepper is not specifically made to be a robot priest. It’s more like a customizable multipurpose robot that is marketed to all kind of companies and people:
Someone thought it would be a good idea to turn a pepper into a priest… 
I think pepper is just what boing boing needs! /s
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Well, I guess that’s outsourcing for you.
In the US we just call that a gun show.
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Sorry. My only funeral costs will be the trip for someone close to me to take my ashes back to Hawaii and scatter them to the ocean, and whatever’s left over will go for pot, booze and snacks for the party, and in the unlikely event that I die loaded, a donation to animal, environmental conservation and/or educational charities. Robots can fuck right the fuck off.
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Yeah… No. Sorry but in actuality while there’s been demos of the examples you cite, no actual job displacement has happened.
“Just”? As @Rotaryd7 linked, Pepper has been around for years. They have them at most of the SoftBank phone shops. Even as a tech demo they are pretty lame.
Oh! Now I see the problem.
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In 6th or 7th grade we thought it would be cool to do a prank in the computer room. We programmed every machine in the room to start printing.
10 PRINT "WE WILL BURY YOU"
20 GOTO 10
So, we were first.
(10 PRINT "USA! USA! USA!"
20 GOTO 10)
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