Xian'er (robot)

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Xians

Link to the picture
(please note copyrights )

Xian'er is a small, mobile robot in the Longquan Temple near Beijing , which is modeled after a Buddhist monk with a shaved head in an orange-yellow robe.

The little monk was conceived as a cartoon character in the temple in 2011 and explains Buddhist wisdom in short picture stories in dialogue with the novice Kenji. After the rapid success of this cartoon series, of which three volumes have appeared so far, the decision was made to develop a non-commercial “robot monk” in order to interest visitors to the Longquan Temple in Buddhism and its culture.

History of the Longquan Temple

Xian'er (robot) (Beijing)
Longquan Temple
Longquan Temple
Beijing center
Beijing center
Location of the temple in the immediate government area of ​​the city of Beijing

The Longquan Temple (Chinese 龙泉 寺, Temple of the Dragon's Spring ) in northwest Beijing and in Fenghuang Mountain Park dates from the Liao Dynasty (916–1125) and was built in 951. The temple was largely destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution .

Xuecheng, Abbot of Longquan Temple

From 1995, the opening year of Fenghuang Mountain Park, the entire temple complex was gradually restored by believers and with the help of the local government and officially opened to visitors on April 11, 2005. Since the opening, the temple has been under the direction of Master Xuecheng , who made the temple known internationally in 2006 through a temple blog operated there in Chinese , Japanese , Korean , Russian , English , French , Spanish and German .

Novices study Buddhist teachings in the temple and go through the traditional stages up to becoming a monk, although “the stereotype of poor, old monks no longer exists”, since most novices, monks and volunteers ( lay Buddhists ) are young and well educated and some of them are out Europe and the USA originate. As a result, the temple has its own IT group that regulates the management of the guest rooms for the up to 400 volunteers (as well as access within the temple through fingerprint identification ), enables teleconferences and also maintains a digital archive for 100,000 books on Buddhism. In addition, there is a “cartoon and animation group” in the Longquan Temple, in which animated films are also made.

This integration of modern technology - from this point of view, the temple is one of the most progressive in Asia - and the clear orientation of the temple towards the outside caused a sensation in the Buddhist community of China and the Chinese media.

Xians

prehistory

烦恼 都是 自找

(Front / back of the book)

Xuecheng and Xianfan , (2014)
Drawn cartoons

Link to the picture
(please note copyrights )

In 2011, Xianfan joined the Longquan Temple and began, under the conception and direction of Xuecheng, with the design of his own cartoon series, the main characters of which are the novice Kenji (贤 二) and his master, a friendly, small and wise monk. The action is set in an imaginary "Fuji temple". Kenji is curious and has questions and problems, which in dialogue with his master are taken up in short picture stories and brought into connection with Buddhist wisdom and solved. So far, three volumes of cartoon have been published. English translations are planned.

The first volume, 烦恼都是自找 (Engl. Troubles Are Self-Inflicted free German translation troubles are self-inflicted ), which in 2014 was published, received at the 11th International Animation Festival in China on April 28, 2015 Hangzhou the Festival Award " Golden Monkey ”(金猴 奖) in the Comics and Cartoons category.

Attitude to the connection between Buddhism and technology in the Longquan Temple

With the success of the cartoon series, the decision was made to also design the little monk as an interactive robot.

According to Xianfan, the creator of the cartoon characters, the robot is perfect for spreading the wisdom of Buddhism in China by combining science and Buddhism. Science and Buddhism are not contradictory or contradicting, but complement each other. Xian'er reflects a Buddhist sentiment that is ready for renewal and could help traditional Buddhism reach larger audiences more easily and fill a void for people in a rapidly changing society that is dominated by smartphones .

Development and technical details

The robot was developed in collaboration with technology companies (Canbot, Turing Robotic Industries, Interjoy) and universities.

Xian'er is two feet tall and has a holder for a touchpad in front of his “stomach” . He is modeled after a rounded Buddhist monk with a bald head in an orange-yellow robe and has a naive face without facial expressions that looks slightly surprised by the position of the eyebrows. Its headboard can be rotated left and right, and its normally dark eyes can glow blue. On level ground, it can move horizontally in all directions using three rollers.

To function, you have to switch it on at the bottom. He orients himself through motion sensors in his environment, reacts to voice commands, can perform seven different movements, recite Buddhist texts and answer around 20 questions about Buddhism and daily life; the question is called up via the touchpad. Complicated questions are answered with "Wait, I'll ask my master."

Xian'er is unique and remains in Longquan Temple, where it was stated that they had no intention of commercializing it . This first version is to be followed by a model with extended functions.

public perception

Xian'er made his public debut on October 4th, 2015 at the Guangzhou Animation Festival in Guangzhou , Guangdong Province , where the new cartoon books were also presented. On November 24, 2015, he was presented as the "Xian'er robot monk" at the 2016 World Robot Exhibition.

The New York Times gave the name Xian'er with “Worthy Stupid Robot Monk” (in free translation about “honorable stupid robot monk”). Internationally, newspapers and online services reported about Xians and assigned them mainly with catchphrases such as "Buddhabot", "High-Tech Mönch", "robo-monk", "the world's first robot monk", "new-age robot" Etc.

Xian'er has his own account on the micro-blogging site Sina Weibo under the name 贤 二 机器 僧 (freely translated Kenji machine monk ).

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ In the Beijing dialect, the appended “he” means a lovingly meant “stupid” (“stupid”). The New York Times (see below) explained the name with "Worthy Stupid Robot Monk", in free translation something like "honorable stupid robot monk".
  2. ↑ The name comes from the source of the same name in the south of the temple.
  3. ↑ Cultural China: Beijing Longquan Temple: A Temple Claims to Have Triratna ( Memento from April 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ); Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  4. ↑ Shannon Aitken: Frosty temple hikes help warm the soul , China Daily USA, February 9, 2011; Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ Xuecheng was Vice President and General Secretary of the Chinese Buddhist Society (中国 佛教 协会) at the time of the inauguration . He has been its president since 2015.
  6. ↑ a b Wang Fan: Modern monks-in-training at Longquan Temple , Chinanews.com (ecns.cn), August 5, 2011; there also the quote: “... the stereotype of poor old monks no longer exists”; Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  7. ^ A b Chinese Buddhist monastery attracts top talents , People's Daily Online, April 12, 2016; accessed on May 2, 2015
  8. ↑ When ancient Buddhism meets modern technology , China Daily Online, October 10, 2015; Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  9. ↑ Shu Ni and Liu Feiyue et al. (translated by Bruce Humes): Longquan Temple: Modern-styled Chinese Buddhism ( Memento from May 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Chinese National Geography Press (China Scenic), 2014; Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  10. ^ Kipp Whittaker: Longquan Temple Develops Robo-Monk to Interact With Visitors , The Beijinger, October 9, 2015; Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  11. ↑ Monks uncloistered ( Memento of the original from May 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Global Times Target Chines, May 13, 2014; Retrieved April 27, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / language.globaltimes.cn
  12. ↑ The description of the name 贤 帆 is given in the literature as both Xianfan and Yinfan.
  13. ↑ a b Harriet Sherwood: Robot monk to spread Buddhist wisdom to the digital generation , The Guardian Online, April 26, 2016; accessed on May 2, 2016.
  14. ↑ (1st volume) Xuecheng and Xianfan :: 烦恼 都是 自找 ( Troubles Are Self-Inflicted , free German translation Sorge are self-inflicted ), 中国 友谊 出版 公司 (China Friendship Publishing Company) (2014), ISBN 9787505733992
  15. ↑ (2nd volume) Xuecheng and Xianfan: 快乐 就 这么 简单 (English Happiness Is So Esy ; free German translation Glück ist so simple ), 华文 出版社 (Chinese Press) (2015), ISBN 9787507544121 .
  16. ↑ (3rd volume) Xuecheng, Xianshu and Xianfan: 放下 是 舍 更 是 得 ( To Let Go Is To Gain ; free German translation to let go means to gain ), 华文 出版社 (Chinese Press) (2015), ISBN 9787507542813 .
  17. ↑ a b c d e Didi Kirsten Tatlow: A Robot Monk Captivates China, Mixing Spirituality With Artificial Intelligence , New York Times Online, April 27, 2016; Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  18. ↑ 中国 山东 网 作者 ：《烦恼 都是 自找 的》 获 中国 国际 动漫 节 金猴 奖金 奖 ( “Worries are self-inflicted” receives “Golden Monkeys” at the International Animation Festival in China ) , Chinadayly.com, April 30, 2015; Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  19. ↑ a b ulz / Reuters: Technology in the Buddhist Temple: Robo-Monk should spread the teaching , Spiegel-Online, April 22, 2016; Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  20. ↑ Joseph Campbell: Robot monk blends science and Buddhism at Chinese temple , Reuters on Venturebeat.com, April 24, 2016; Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  21. ↑ a b c Why robot monk Xian'er is making the headlines , The Economic Times Online, May 1, 2016; accessed on May 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ a b c Chen Ziyan: New-age robot offers centuries-old wisdom in Beijing temple , China Daily, April 7, 2016; accessed on May 2, 2016.
  23. ↑ Cheng Yingqi: Monastery's robot monk helping to spread the word , China Daily Online, April 9, 2016; Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  24. ↑ World Robot Conference 2015, 21.-25. November 2015; Program of November 24, 2015 ( Memento of May 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ); accessed on May 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ Chris Matyszczyk: Robot Buddhist monk can tell you what love is , C | net, April 27, 2016; Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  26. ↑ High Tech Monk: In the Service of Buddhism , Euronews.com, April 28, 2016; accessed on May 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ Victoria Woollaston: Meet Xian'er the robo-monk: Humanoid has a 'shaved' head, chants Buddhist mantras and chats to visitors , Daily Mail Online, April 22, 2016; accessed on May 2, 2016.