A Robot Celebration
Last Saturday we witnessed something very special. Our dear friends Dan and Cody were married in a lovely little ceremony at Sublime Point, a breathtaking location 415m above sea level on the South coast of New South Wales.
That in and of itself was not remarkable; people get married there almost every weekend it seems. What was unique about this wedding was the fact that it was officiated by a robot. That bears repeating- a robot directed proceedings, asked the relevant questions, and finally, joined the happy couple. Of course, it was given the power to do so by a Real Live Human Being (robots aren’t able to weld couples in marriage just yet) but for all intents and purposes the robot (Known as ‘Celebrot’) was the celebrant who made it all official between Dan and Cody.
The ring’s the thing
As it happens, Dan is often forgetful, but not on this day, and so was able to produce the ring when asked, however we got the impression that had he been unable, the robot would have been able to dispense a perfectly good substitute. It asked all the right questions, in the correct order, and even threw in a little robot humour. Robot humour, as it turns out, is at the same technological level as Dad humour, but the guests seemed to take in all in good fun.
As we arrived, the scene looked no different to any other wedding we’ve attended. There was a table of nibbles, children dressed up more than they may have cared to be, and the obligatory marquee festooned with flowers.
What was different, of course, was the rather fetching robot that (possibly by design) perfectly matched the White Wedding colour scheme of the event. It had a light ring framing a tablet and a high quality SLR camera. The robot stood ready to perform its duties, and while it did so, it displayed a slideshow of moments from Dan and Cody’s life together, including their friends, some of whom were in attendance that day. It was also nice to see the photos of some of Dan and Cody’s friends that were not able to attend; it was as though they were there by proxy.
Soon the moment was upon us! With a tapping of a glass with a piece of silverware, the guests were rallied into position and the ceremony proper commenced. Cody addressed the guests:
“For as long as I’ve known Dan he’s been interested in robots. We bonded over watching Doctor Who when we were younger and ever since we met each other at our tech. startup we’ve shared a common interest in technology, and using it in interesting ways. So when I got the chance to have an actual robot take part in our special day, you can bet I jumped at the chance! Celebrot, if you’d be so kind?”
That’s when we first heard the robot speak.
“Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to join these two lovely people.. In that most holy and sacred institution- the institution of robot marriage.”
This first example of robot humour went down rather well, and it was a nice icebreaker to what could have been a stuffy and austere affair. We wondered if the robot might run the risk upstaging the Humans, but our fears were quickly put to rest as Celbrot deftly deferred to Dan.
“Dan, I believe you have some words to say?”
We’ll spare you Dan’s speech- after all it was his special day, and to be frank Dan is not known for his sparkling writing. But when he was done, there were a few sparking eyes in the crowd. Celebrot continued.
“That was most stirring Daniel. I wouldn’t want to follow that!”
After a smattering of laughter, Celebrot went on.
“Cody, it’s time to follow that.”
Cody reciprocated, and we don’t mind telling you that we appreciated her wordsmithing more than Dan’s. When she was done, it was Celebrot’s turn to shine.
“Cody, do you take Daniel to be your lawfully wedded husband, to support him in sickness and health, and humour him as he picks up a seemingly unending series of new hobbies until death do you part?”
We could hardly be surprised at Cody’s response.
“I do.”
Celebrot continued.
“And Daniel, do you take Cody to be your lawfully wedded wife, to make her breakfast in bed, and not only on her birthday, to rub her feet, and not just when they’re sore, until death do you part?’
We held our breath, hoping that Dan wouldn’t take this moment to improvise a ‘funny’ response.
‘I do.”
We exhaled. Rings were exchanged, and with a kiss, the couple were married!
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Celebrot did what could easily be interpreted as a little dance. But then came the biggest surprise- the robot’s light ring turned on, and it seamlessly transitioned into becoming a robotic wedding photographer. Guests lined up in front of the robot and had their photo taken, and shortly a high quality glossy print was produced by the robot.
Predictably, the first run of photos featured well behaved friends and relatives, and as the night went on and the beverages flowed, the nature of the photos changed and at the end of the ceremony there were a few that Dan and Cody held on to save their friends from embarrassment.
All in all it was a triumphant event and later we heard Dan saying to Cody that the addition of Celebrot made the occasion an extra special affair.
We’ll let you in on a secret- this didn’t actually happen. But there’s no reason it couldn't! What do you think? Would you welcome a robot celebrant at your wedding? People get married underwater, while skydiving, and of course in their cars going through a drive-thru in Las Vegas. And here’s another fact nugget- we have the technology at Streaker to do this today. And if you’re interested, we vow to make it a special day for you!
