End of the road: Hitch-hiking robot wrecked by vandals
theweathernetwork.com
Sunday, August 2, 2015, 6:30 PM - The lovable HitchBOT won friends and fans as it thumbed rides across several nations.
But the Canadian-made robot's odyssey has come to a tragic end, as it was apparently wrecked by vandals in none other than the 'City of Brotherly Love.'
The perpetrators remain unidentified, and the researchers who built the bot told CBC News it was damaged beyond repair.
EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: evidence of vandalized hitchhiking robot in #philly. #hitchBOTinUSA trip is over.... pic.twitter.com/VAjvGQzF3u
— AndreaWBZ (@AndreaWBZ) August 1, 2015
The bot was originally bound for San Francisco, and set out from Marblehead, Massachusetts in July, and was destroyed only two weeks into its journey.
Before that, it achieved great success in cadging lifts all across Canada on a previous journey, and also toured Germany.
If its Twitter feed is any indication, it looked like its U.S. jaunt was going well also, which makes the robot's fate even more heartbreaking.
I have hitched my first ride, everything is hunky-dory! Follow me on @Storify: https://t.co/YQjBkJ8Rsk #hitchBOTinUSA pic.twitter.com/7rZGHwUuND
— hitchBOT (@hitchBOT) July 17, 2015
My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thanks friends: https://t.co/DabYmi6OxH pic.twitter.com/sJPVSxeawg
— hitchBOT (@hitchBOT) August 1, 2015
It's especially discouraging, as according to Time Magazine the robot was initially designed to see how humans would interact with robots. Nevertheless, the researchers seem optimistic about the future even though HitchBOT himself is no more.
"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," they wrote on HitchBOT's homepage. "For now we will focus on the question “what can be learned from this?” and explore future adventures for robots and humans."
CREATORS MAY REBUILD
HitchBOT's co-creators Frauke Zeller and David Smith say they've been 'overwhelmed' with support after the robot was discovered Saturday, and may rebuild it.
According to Yahoo News, the duo have been inundated with offer to help rebuild the bot.
The team make a final decision on whether or not to rebuild the robot in the coming days.
Sources: CBC News | Time | HitchBOT | Yahoo News