A university in Japan has come up with an ingenious way to conduct a graduation ceremony while adhering to social distancing guidelines amid the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
Per the PR Times website, a graduation ceremony for students at the Business Breakthrough University took place at Hotel Grand Palace at Chiyoda, Tokyo on March 28.
Related - This is the moment a Texas high school graduate met her father on the US-Mexico border bridge because he wasn't able to attend the ceremony:The Business Breakthrough University used the so-called 'newme' robots in place of students, which were controlled remotely by the college's students - who are currently in self-isolation.
In photos taken at the ceremony, the avatars can be seen queuing up to receive their certificate from the president of the university, Omae Kenichi. They have four wheels in place of legs and tablets in lieu of faces. The students' faces can be seen on the tablets via a video link.
However, only four of the students used the robot in the ceremony while the rest of them participated via Zoom.
This isn't the first time something like this has been done before. Back in 2018, the University of Glasgow allowed three students to attend their graduation remotely by attaching an iPad to a remote-controlled car dressed in a graduation gown.
Per the BBC, Principal Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli said: "I am delighted that technology has enabled our online distance learning graduands from different parts of the world who are unable to travel to Glasgow to take part in this live virtual graduation ceremony.
"These online students have had to balance work and family commitments whilst studying for their masters degrees part-time, and whilst graduating is a huge achievement for any student, it takes hard work, focus and commitment to successfully complete your studies whilst juggling work, family and life.
"Therefore, I am very pleased that we have been able to include our online distance learners in this graduation and we are proud to have them as alumni of the university."
