Robot Presided Over Japanese Wedding

Filed in archive Real Weddings , Something Different on May 17, 2010

An I-Fairy, a four-foot tall seated robot, presided over a wedding ceremony at a Tokyo restaurant on Sunday, May 16, 2010.



According to the robot's manufacturer Kokoro Co., the said wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot. Japan has one of the most advanced robotics industries in the world. While industrial models in factories are now standard, Japanese companies want to inject robots into our everyday lives.

According to the bride Satoko Inoue, 36, who works at Kokoro Co.:

"This was a lot of fun. I think that Japanese have a strong sense that robots are our friends. Those in the robot industry mostly understand this, but people mainly want robots near them that serve some purpose."

The I-Fairy sells for about 6.3 million yen ($68,000) and three are in use in Singapore, the U.S. and Japan. It has 18 degrees of motion in its arms, and mainly repeats preprogrammed movements and sounds.