Universities around the world had to cancel graduation ceremonies in order to change more education as well as closure and end of year exams. However, the show is still going strong for some students in Japan. Business Breakthrough (BBT) University, Tokyo held a graduation ceremony on March 26 at the Grand Palace Hotel in Cheddar. Recipients were not allowed to stay there in person, they instead controlled remotely controlled robots to collect diplomas. To make the event more “life-like”, the students made a video call on a tablet in the robot’s “face”.
The digital tablets were attached to the robot’s head, showing the faces of students who used zoom conference calls for remote positions at graduation ceremonies. The event took place on March 26 at the Hotel Grand Palace in Tokyo, Business Insider reported on Sunday.
Donated clothing and a mortarboard, the “Nume” robots, built by ANA Holdings, were also hand-crafted to hold the credentials of four graduates selected to handle the novel’s quests. While other students “attended” the ceremony through Zoom, the university’s president, Kenichi Ome, handed out diplomas to the avatars at a truly unforgettable ceremony.
One “Avatar” student said, “When I entered, I never thought I would manage my Avatar and attend the graduation ceremony. Receiving a diploma in a public place while in a private place was a fancy experience. Indeed, Professor Shugo Yanaka, Dean of Global Business Administration at BBT University, who planned the “Avatar Postgraduate Ceremony,” believes that other universities could conduct similar programs for their students.
“We are delighted to be able to conduct a warm online postgraduate program with the introduction of avatars as new coroner virus measures are required,” Professor Yanaka said in a statement. “We hope that these teachings will be helpful to educational institutions that struggle to manage graduation and admissions”. BBT University is not the only place to get creative through virtual graduation programs. Last month a group of elementary school graduates shortened their program at Minecraft after their school year, which was due to end in March.
