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Robots Help Japanese Students Attend Graduation Amid Pandemic

By Violet Johnson

08 April 2020   |   4:00 pm

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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, spring graduation ceremonies in Japan have been canceled, but thanks to technology students at one school were able to attend virtually with the help of robots. Dubbed “Newme” by developer ANA Holdings, the robots were dressed in graduation caps and gowns for the ceremony at the Business Breakthrough University in…

Japanese students attend graduation virtually | Photo: Reuters

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, spring graduation ceremonies in Japan have been canceled, but thanks to technology students at one school were able to attend virtually with the help of robots.

Dubbed “Newme” by developer ANA Holdings, the robots were dressed in graduation caps and gowns for the ceremony at the Business Breakthrough University in Tokyo.

The robots’ “faces” were tablets that displayed the faces of the graduates, who logged on at home and controlled the robots via their laptops.

One by one, the robots moved toward the podium to receive their diplomas. School staff clapped and said “congratulations!” as University President Kenichi Ohmae placed the diplomas on a rack mounted on the robot’s midsection.

“I think this is truly a novel experience to receive a certificate in a public area while I am in a private space,” Kazuki Tamura said via his computer avatar when receiving his master’s degree diploma.

The university hopes its approach can be adopted by other schools looking to avoid mass gatherings.

However, the school limited the ceremony to just four graduates so that the robots could practice social distancing amid the pandemic.