This robot wants to teach you Buddhist chants
A robot named Mindar uses its voice, hand gestures and eye contact to bond with those who want to learn about Buddhism.
In Japan, robots run hotels, get married and even have their own funerals. Now they can add Buddhist teacher to the list.
A new humanoid robot is offering lessons in Buddhist teachings, and delivering sermons in Buddhist philosophy, at the Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, through May 6.
The robot named Mindar gives a "futuristic vision of the Bodhisattva Kannon also known as the Goddess of Mercy," according to South China Morning Post.
The robot not only chants and teaches, but uses hand gestures and eye contact to connect with students, according to EuroNews.
The robot was built by a team from Osaka University led by famed roboticist Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro. Ishiguro is best known for his humanoid robots and androids that creepily resemble humans. His robots can interact with people and even be hired as TV news anchors.
This isn't the first robot recruited to teach Buddhism. In 2016, the small, cartoonish-looking Xian'er robot was introduced at the Longquan Temple in Beijing, China.
Xian'er the robot could answer 20 simple questions about Buddhism and daily life at the 500-year-old temple.
