Smooth talking is an important part of finding a prospective marriage partner. However, many Japanese are said to lack confidence in their conversational abilities. What if you could get someone to do the talking for you? Or, perhaps, a robot?
Contents innovation Program (CiP) Association, a Minato Ward, Tokyo-based foundation that seeks to develop artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies, organized an event last Saturday to help those who lack confidence in their conversation skills to casually participate in their search for a spouse.
The "robot marriage-hunting party" at a hotel in Minato Ward gathered 28 men and women from around the Kanto region age 25 to 39 and let them talk to each other through robots.
Ahead of the event, participants answered questions on 45 subjects, such as their interests and place of employment. Event organizers devised conversation material based on the responses, which they then used to program a cadre of miniature robots. The robots made three-minute self-introductions on behalf of the participants.
Results for the event, which was not open to the public, were announced on Tuesday: four new couples were formed.
Participants praised the experience with comments such as "Thanks to the robot, I wasn't really nervous" and "It was easy because the robot explained everything about me, and I didn't have to say anything during multiple interactions."
Ryunosuke Takahashi, CiP executive director, said, "Robots can create opportunities even for people who aren't good at speaking, and are proven to be an efficient method for marriage hunting."
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