Berlin: A German church has launched a robot ‘priest’ that beams lights from its hands and gives automated blessings to people. The unique robot was launched in the historic town of Wittenberg to mark 500 years since German priest Martin Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses — a work widely acknowledged to have spread the Protestant Reformation.
The robot, called BlessU-2, was developed by the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau. It consists of a metal box with a touch screen, two arms on the side, a head with eyes and a digital mouth at the top. After the robot wishes users a “warm welcome”, it asks them if they want to be blessed by a male or female voice. It asks the person what blessing they want, after which it makes a mechanical sound as it raises its arms and smiles.
Lights then start to flash in the robot’s arms as it says “God bless and protect you” and recites a biblical verse. After the blessing, the user can take a print of the dictum. Church spokesman Sebastian von Gehren said that people who have little in common with the church are particularly attracted to the robot.
