Singles Sit in Silence as Robots Do The Talking at Speed-Dating Parties in Japan

February 19, 2019

Multiple singles participating in a recent speed-dating party in Japan were able to find their match with the help of some robot assistants.

Technology firm Sharp and media company Cyber Agent reportedly came up with the dating solution for those who are inexperienced or unconfident in talking to new people.

Talking robots aided potential couples in keeping conversations flowing smoothly during the dates at the speed-dating event.

The robotic date assistants, which sat on the table in front of each pair, came preloaded with the participants’ profiles.

According to Soranews24, the uploaded information was developed through a 45-question survey the hopeful singles completed prior to the event.

With the data on hand, the robots were able to ask questions and respond accordingly to each other, while the humans just sat back and listened to the “robotic conversation.”

The video clip above shows a man’s robot asking what hobbies his date enjoys. The woman’s machine then responds with: “She recently started taking piano lessons.”

After the three-minute “robot-to-robot” chat, the participants can then choose to decide whether they wanted to pursue an actual human-to-human conversation afterwards.

The event, in which 28 singles participated in, resulted in four new couples who later expressed appreciation for the help provided by their robots.

“The person didn’t seem like my usual type, but as our robots talked, I was able to see that we have many things in common, so I’d like to go on a date next time,” one participant was quoted as saying.

Many of them commented that the robots allowed them to focus on listening and learning about the other person better by removing the pressure to constantly think of how to respond favorably.

Delivering the questions and responses automatically allowed the robots to avoid the awkward moments when one monopolizes the conversation or brags about his/her qualities.

Since the Japanese tend to shy away from self-promotion, a robotic wingman gives just enough help in letting a potential mate know their positive traits.

Featured image via YouTube/FNN.jpプライムオンライン

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