over 100 sony aibo robot dogs get their own funeral at buddhist temple in japan

a mass funeral has been held for 114 of sony‘s out-of-production aibo robot dogs in japan. the dogs were commemorated in isumi’s historic kofukuji buddhist temple in the chiba prefecture.

a tag was placed with each dog describing its owners and place of origin, the japan times reports. like a traditional japanese funeral incense smoke was wafting, a priest chanted a sutra and prayers for the peaceful transition of the souls were made.

however bizarre this may sound it is not the first time sony’s old-generation aibo’s have been given this kind of send of. electronics repair company a-fun co., which specializes in fixing vintage products, has sent off around 800 aibos in recent years at a centuries-old buddhist temple. according to the publisher the priest at the 450-year-old kofukuji temple in isumi, justified the necessity of holding memorials for machines with the following comment: ‘all things have a bit of soul.‘ 

sony unveiled a new version of aibo in january, featuring artificial intelligence and internet connectivity. the released followed the company’s decision to discontinue the robot in 2006. despite this new release sony has chosen not to resume repairs on its old models.

video by catfight2011

thumbnail photo credit: AFP-JIJI