After Safely Traveling Through Canada and Germany, the Hitchhiking Robot was Trashed in the USA

[SeaBreeze]

I remember reading about him a long time ago, looks like his US adventure but an end to him, for now anyway. http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/hitchhiking-robot-lasts-just-two-weeks-in-us-because-hu-1721544551

When hitchBOT the hitchhiking robot started his journey in Boston two weeks ago he wanted to see the entire country. Unfortunately, he never made it out of the Northeast. The researchers who built hitchBOT announced today that they need to stop the experiment because hitchBOT was vandalized in Philadelphia.

From the researchers who built hitch BOT:

hitchBOT’s trip came to an end last night in Philadelphia after having spent a little over two weeks hitchhiking and visiting sites in Boston, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City. Unfortunately, hitchBOT was vandalized overnight in Philadelphia; sometimes bad things happen to good robots. We know that many of hitchBOT’s fans will be disappointed, but we want them to be assured that this great experiment is not over. For now we will focus on the question “what can be learned from this?” and explore future adventures for robots and humans.


​

The goal of the hitchhiking trip was to see how humans would interact with hitchBOT. And apparently the answer was “not well.” HitchBOT has been around the world, including trips across the entirety of Canada and Germany without major incident. But America is clearly a hard land for our robot brothers and sisters.

Update, August 2nd: Canadian journalist Lauren O’Neil has posted this photo of hitchBOT, which appears to show how he was found in Philly. His head is missing and his arms were ripped off.

Sadly, hitchBOT never made it very far, as you can see from the map of his American travels below:

No word on whether his trademark “wellies” were stolen, but based on the photo below, it looks like the damage was mostly to hitchBOT’s head, which appears to be missing. [Update: For whatever reason, that photo has been taken down]

 

[Kitties]

Well I'm not really sure what great goal this experiment would have had but my first thought was 'where else would this happen'

Reminds me of the two months my brother hitched New Zealand in the early 80's. If he did have any negative experiences, he didn't tell us. Only good experiences. I doubt that would have been his experience in the U.S.. Sorry to say.

 

[BobF]

In the 1955 time frame I was able to hitch hike from Cleveland to western Ohio. I once picked up hitch hikers when I had a car to travel in. But since about 1965 I have never tried to hitch hike nor have I bothered to pickup hikers. There were some sad cases happening. Like shootings from the hiker and stealing the car. I think in Colorado. There were other types of terror and killings in different parts of the US. Hitch hiking is nothing I would do any more. I do see people with their thumbs up and hitch hiking. But mostly on the Indian territories, like in the Navajo Nation for one.

 

[tnthomas]

Hitchhiking can be dangerous, I used to as a youth of the 70s. But, since the freeway killings locally here in southern California, I decided to get my own transportation.

 

[WhatInThe]

You figure a local police department would've stopped it for security reasons. But vandalism and theft? Figures in an old northeast city with attitude. Wasn't Philadelphia the city that threw snowballs at Santa Clause.

 

[Lara]

I'm sorry but I'm really tired of people trashing other cities or entire countries as if their country has no evil. I'm sorry this unfortunate event happened but taking some random solo incident of evil like a robot vandalism and blaming the the entire country for it is just nuts. What makes anyone so sure this was a USA citizen anyway? We've got tons of people living and visiting here that are not US citizens as everyone knows.

Today, someone told me about some random unknown person acting rude, who is American but living in another country. She said it makes both the USA and the other country look bad. Huh? No it doesn't. It makes the rude person look bad. She alone must own her poor behavior, not the whole country.

In all my years, I've never even seen anyone performing an evil act in this country. Of course, I know it happens because the media broadcasts it everywhere. But personally, aside from the news, I see lots of good people doing good things everywhere…. When something bad happens that you see on TV, look for the helpers. There are always helpers. And focus on the people around us outside of the TV box.

 

[Shirley]

Still, it's sad that someone did that, no matter who it was. I was hoping he would come through my town and I could give him a ride. Wouldn't that have been something to tell about?!?!