Fairy tale wedding

Speaking of the velvet prison cell that is wedded bliss, I'd been thinking of renewing my vows with Her Indoors. And something I read this week made me think that such a grandiose romantic gesture is most definitely the way to go.

Regular readers will no doubt be able to imagine my boyish glee at learning that this month witnessed the first ever marriage ceremony presided over by a robot. The i-Fairy, which stands at four feet and sports jaunty pigtails, is manufactured by Kokoro, the company that employs bride Satoko Inoue.

She (the human bride, that is) told the Associated Press: "This was a lot of fun. I think that the Japanese have a strong sense that robots are our friends."

Her new husband, robotics professor (I sense a theme here) Tomohiro Shibata, said the automaton was "very good at expressing herself". Though, he added: "It would be nice if she was a bit cleverer."

Good point, Tomohiro. The robot could stand to be a little smarter too.