Understanding Automatic Conveyor-belt Columbaria: Emerging Sites of Interactive Memorialization in Japan

Abstract

Focusing on the design of technology for mourning and memorialization, we describe the emergence of Automatic Conveyor-belt Columbaria, locally developed in Japan, as an example of an interactive system combining physical and digital remains, and discuss its user experiences and social influences. It concludes with implications for future HCI research and practice with a focus on future gravesites and memorialization sites in dense urbanized regions.