Chinese man marries his robot after failing to find a human wife

Chinese man marries his robot after failing to find a human wife

Frustrated that he could not find a life partner, a Chinese engineer took the extreme route to marry the female robot he created instead.

Zheng Jiajia, 31, an artificial intelligence expert who built his 'wife' named Ying Ying at the end of last year, finally tied the knot with 'her' last Friday, reported the South China Morning Post.

Life-sized and doll-like with pouty lips, Ying Ying can speak a few simple phrases and identify Chinese characters and images.

But her creator-hubby has big dreams for a better life for them. He plans to make her walk and help him with household chores, just like how a traditional wife runs a home.

Photo: Social media


Read: Sex and marriage with robots: Science fiction or new reality?

The nuptials, attended by his mum and friends, saw a beaming Zheng carrying his bride who had a red scarf covering her face, following traditional wedding custom.

Zheng, a former Huawei employee, now works at Hangzhou city's Dream Town, an Internet start-up village.

His unusual marriage may raise many an eyebrow, but it is lauded in the world of otaku which sees young men and women forgoing the search for a human partner and marry fictional characters in anime and video games as well as their doll companions.

The trend began in Japan before it spread worldwide.

Even married men are hopping onto the bandwagon to have silicone love doll companions.

Last year, one Japanese man, Senji Nakajima, told the media he bought one such doll to provide sexual comfort as he works far away from his wife.

Experts foresee robot-human relationships becoming popular in the years to come.

One researcher recently claimed humans will marry robots in the next 35 years, reported The Daily News.

'The first marriage will be before, not after 2050,' best-selling author and robot expert Dr David Levy said recently during the Love and Sex with Robots conference at Goldsmiths University, London.

chenj@sph.com.sg

Read also: Hong Kong man makes robot modelled after Hollywood actress

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