Laying to rest a much-loved family pet usually requires little more than a shovel, a plot in the back garden and some well-chosen words. But what happens when the “pet” in question is a robot?



In Japan, the demise of irreparable Aibo robotic dogs is marked in much the same way as that of humans, with a solemn ceremony at a Buddhist temple.

At a memorial for 114 “deceased” members of Sony’s old generation of Aibo, incense wafted through the air as priests in traditional robes chanted sutras and prayed for the repose of their souls.

Each dog wore a tag showing where they had come from and the names of their grieving owners.

When it first went on sale in 1999, Aibo was touted as the world’s first entertainment robot for home use, with initial batch of 3,000 selling out in just 20 minutes, despite costing more than US$2,000 each.

Sony went on to sell more than 150,000, but decided to end production in 2006 as it attempted to cut costs. The firm stopped repairing malfunctioning Aibo in 2014, leaving owners whose pets were beyond repair unsure of how to dispose of their companions.

Kofukuji, a 450-year-old temple in Isumi, near Tokyo, has conducted services for 800 “dead” Aibo dogs.

In January, Sony brought Aibo back from the dead, releasing an upgraded version that uses AI and internet connectivity to interact with its owner and surroundings. But the consumer electronics giant has resisted pressure from owners of the original Aibo to resume repairs of old models.

Instead, owners of defunct robotic dogs can send them to A Fun, a company that repairs vintage products, which passes them on to Kofukuji. After the service – which does not involve burial or cremation – the firm removes parts that can be used to fix less seriously damaged models.

Many of the dogs are accompanied by notes written by their former owners. “I feel relieved to know there will be a prayer for my Aibo,” one said. Another wrote: “Please help other Aibos. My eyes filled with tears when I decided to say goodbye.”

Bungen Oi, one of the temple’s priests, said he did not see anything wrong with giving four-legged friends, albeit of the robotic variety, a proper send-off . “All things have a bit of soul,” he said.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report