Robot to perform Buddhist funeral rites
Tokyo: A Japanese company has introduced a new role for SoftBank’s humanoid robot “Pepper” — a Buddhist priest for hire at funerals. Chanting sutras in a computerised voice while tapping a drum, the robot was on display on Wednesday at a funeral industry fair. It also cost less at $450 per funeral compared to more than $2,200 for a human priest. The robot has not yet been hired for a funeral. Reuters
Google, Walmart in e-commerce partnership
San Francisco: Google and Walmart have announced a partnership that will make the retailer’s products available on the Internet giant’s online shopping mall. Walmart will integrate Google Express, which allows customers to purchase products of a large range of brands, into its platform in a bid to take on online shopping giant Amazon. aFP
