Japan's robot deity delivers Buddha's teaching

This is the Android Kannon, a robotic manifestation of the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with mercy. She delivered her first teachings on Saturday at Kodaiji temple in Kyoto, Japan. From The Telegraph:

Developed at a cost of Y100 million (692,000), the robot is a joint project between the Zen temple and Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor of intelligent robotics at Osaka University.

The temple approached Professor Ishiguro and asked him to design a humanoid robot that can communicate the Buddha's teachings in a way that is easy to understand and in a manner that "helps give peace of mind to trouble people", the Asahi newspaper reported.