Confession in churches set to go hi-tech, if technology developed by Christ College of Engineering is adopted

Thrissur (Kerala) [India], May 22 : Christ College of Engineering, Irinjalakuda, has developed a technology to aid churches to carry out the religious practice of confession with mandatory social distancing as per COVID-19 guidelines.
"The new system, which includes a headset, mic and allied equipment is designed to fit into the existing confession rooms of the church. The system is able to communicate clearly between the believer and the priest, keeping the confidentiality of the confession as well as maintain social distancing in accordance with the COVID-19 guidelines," Paul J Alangaden, assistant professor, Christ College of Engineering, told ANI.
"Because the mic is attached to a safe distance from the confessing believer, the mic can prevent infection to others. As per the guidelines, a safe distance of 2 metres can be followed by using this system," he added
Prof Arun Augustine, Mechanical Engineering Department of the College, told ANI that a trial was conducted in a church and it has been submitted to the diocese for getting approval from higher authorities of the church.
"As per the Christian practice, the secrecy of confession has to be maintained and it cannot be carried out online. So once it is approved the technology can be used for confession sessions when churches open for believers, " he added.
The system was developed by a team headed by Prof TM Sanal comprising students Aldrin Varghese and Ashwin KS of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering of Christ College of Engineering.