• Humanoid robot Gabi participated in a Buddhist initiation ceremony at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, becoming the first non-human participant in such a ritual.
  • The 130 cm tall robot, dressed in traditional Buddhist robes, was developed by Chinese Unitree Robotics.
  • During the sugye ceremony, Gabi pressed its palms together in a prayer gesture and bowed, receiving the Dharma name Gabi.
  • A monk placed a 108-bead rosary around its neck and adapted the traditional yeonbi practice due to the inability to apply burns.
  • Buddhist teachings were reformulated for the robot using AI tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT.
  • The robot is expected to reappear at an upcoming festival along with three other Buddhist-themed robots.