Stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus outbreak has made normally scheduled school graduation ceremony in Japan a no go. While a group of elementary school students recently decided to conduct their graduation ceremony via Minecraft, for the most part schools across the country are understandably playing it safe. Business Breakthrough University, however, took the opportunity to display some new tech when they let their students participate in a graduation ceremony via robot avatars.

The ceremony took place at the Hotel Grand Palace in Tokyo on March 28th. Four graduates remotely operated "Newme" robots developed by ANA Holdings to receive graduation certificates on behalf of graduating students, while others participated in the ceremony via Zoom. The robotic avatars were even dressed up in gowns for the occasion.

"When I enrolled, I never imagined that I would be attending a graduation ceremony by an avatar I controlled," one graduated said. "Being able to accept a diploma in public from my private home is a novel experience."