Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Robots Attending Weddings

TALLAHASSEE, FL - In a new trend, robots can now serve as guests at wedding ceremonies. The robots step up and take the place of those who were invited to, but unable to make the wedding day festivities. The robots can attend wedding ceremonies anywhere in the world--not just in the U.S.

Nolan Katter is business development executive at AnyBots, one of the companies’ that rents out robots for weddings. He says renting robots for weddings have become very popular.

“One is that they attract a great deal of attention, and the second is that they offer the freedom for an out of town guest to attend a wedding if they are physically unable to make it,” said Katter.

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Researcher for Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, Brian Coltin, isn’t surprised that robots can now attend weddings. “Laptops have gotten better and cheaper, and for us, a big change in robotics is RGB-D cameras. It’s cheaper than it ever was, and that’s made a big difference,” he said.

“Our robots start out at $325 a day, and we also have local event packages for around $1,450, particularly for couples in California’s Bay Area. The biggest expense for an out of area wedding would be shipping—roughly $500 to $600 to ship to and from. Generally the guests do not have to pay anything because the wedding party will take care of all costs,” said Katter.

Guests unable to make the big day won’t feel left out. Robots take their place, while the guest watches the robot take their place and interact with the other guests. Katter explains how the robots work.

“The robot serves as an extension of the guest. It can be remotely driven anywhere in the world through a web browser while simultaneously creating a two-way video and audio communication exchange with the robots’ surroundings,” he said.

Many say the robots enhance the personality of the couple, and make the day more special and memorable. They say a robot attending the wedding is unique.

“It’s a way of saying we’re unique and different and we’re carving ourselves out from all those other people doing the same thing,” said Patricia Arend, a sociology professor at Fitchburg State University.

Russell O’Neill was unable to attend his father’s wedding. So he had a robot go in his place.

“My sister told me ‘Russell it’s not your day, don’t do this,’ but everyone mingled for an hour, so by the time they walked down the aisle, the novelty was over. I was unconsciously turning my head to talk to people and realizing I’m in a cold, dark basement and it’s one in the morning,” said O’Neill.