Innocent Canadian robot destroyed in Philly

[The Republican United States]

It's Philly, the people there are pricks, believe me I've met them, only people from New Jersey are more unpleasant.

[Polar Svalbard]

(Image)
HitchBOT prior to setting out on his US tour

After its siblings safely hitched across both Germany and Canada, and gathered worldwide attention, the latest iteration of the hitch-hiking robot HitchBOT embarked on an American road trip from Salem, MA with a goal of "San Francisco or bust".

Unfortunately he never made it that far. HitchBOT was dropped off at Elfreths Ally in Philadelphia (the oldest residential street in the United States) around 4 AM after a night out with local YouTuber Jesse Wellens, and was destroyed beyond repair by vandals sometime shortly after. Photographs of HitchBOT's headless body were sent to his "family" (the team of researchers based at universities in and around Toronto that created him) and the lead researchers verified that his GPS tracker was no longer functioning.

HitchBOT was an experiment/design project developed primarily by two social scientists Prof. David Harris Smith (Ryerson University, Toronto) and Prof. Frauke Zeller (McMaster University, Hamilton) to examine human interaction with technology as well as to cause people to think critically about trust and safety. HitchBOT was able to communicate verbally using speech recognition, hold limited conversation, could convey several facial expressions using an LCD screen "face", and was equipped with a camera that automatically took pictures every . The key aspect of the experiment was that he was utterly dependent on the kindness of strangers, being unable to move on his own and requiring a car's cigarette lighter or a home outlet to recharge.

CBC | Deutsche Welle | NPR | Toronto Star

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I suppose it is a good sign that two previous version of HitchBOT were able to travel the length of Germany and Canada with nothing bad happening to them... but it had to happen sooner or later. If this says anything about different countries' approach to trust remains to be seen.

Seriously, though, what sort of jerk utterly destroys a helpless robot with an electronic smiley face on it? HuffPost is normally sort of silly with their headlines but were bang on with "ICYMI: Harmless, innocent Canadian robot meets its demise in the U.S.".

What dicks.

Hitchbot was a really cool idea, if I had gotten a chance me and hitchbot would've hit the tittybar before I drove to the state line.

Another reason to hate Pennsylvania.

Cameras on the whole time, I wonder how the researchers would feel

[The Krogan]

What dicks.

Hitchbot was a really cool idea, if I had gotten a chance me and hitchbot would've hit the tittybar before I drove to the state line.

Another reason to hate Pennsylvania.

Cameras on the whole time, I wonder how the researchers would feel

I think it just takes pictures every once and a while, but they would probably find it very interesting.

[Scyobayrynn]

What dicks.

Hitchbot was a really cool idea, if I had gotten a chance me and hitchbot would've hit the tittybar before I drove to the state line.

Another reason to hate Pennsylvania.

Cameras on the whole time, I wonder how the researchers would feel

Well hitchbot got taken to a redsocks game in Boston...baseball, strippers, beer, I'm not doing it for the researchers I'd be doing it for hitchbot.

[Dominated Earth]

The next one should have lasers to sort out the next smelly colonist that tries to damage it.

[Stellonia]

The next one should have lasers to sort out the next smelly colonist that tries to damage it.

That would have disastrous implications.

[Dominated Earth]

The next one should have lasers to sort out the next smelly colonist that tries to damage it.

That would have disastrous implications.

Mahogany! What's the worst that could happen?

[Sekuo]

The next one should have lasers to sort out the next smelly colonist that tries to damage it.

That would have disastrous implications.

Well, the pesky humans deserved it. Like, do not hurt the fucking computer for fuck's sake, it's just a computer what did it ever do to you?

[Scyobayrynn]

That would have disastrous implications.

Well, the pesky humans deserved it. Like, do not hurt the fucking computer for fuck's sake, it's just a computer what did it ever do to you?

Could give it pepper spray, and an alarm.

[Stellonia]

Well, the pesky humans deserved it. Like, do not hurt the fucking computer for fuck's sake, it's just a computer what did it ever do to you?

Could give it pepper spray, and an alarm.

It could still get run over without much damage.

[The Two Jerseys]

That's what HitchBOT gets for being too cheerful in Philly when the Phillies are having a bad season.

Just ask Santa Claus about it.

[Threlizdun]

My objective in life is now to make sure my girlfriend never learns about this or she will never stop crying. That is my first and immediate thought. My second, is what complete and total assholes.

[Scyobayrynn]

Could give it pepper spray, and an alarm.

It could still get run over without much damage.

Well yeah youre right.

Only in America is the populace too douchey to not smash something just for the sake of smashing it.

[Grenartia]

This has made me fucking depressed.

[The Planet of Oceanis]

(Image)
HitchBOT prior to setting out on his US tour

After its siblings safely hitched across both Germany and Canada, and gathered worldwide attention, the latest iteration of the hitch-hiking robot HitchBOT embarked on an American road trip from Salem, MA with a goal of "San Francisco or bust".

Unfortunately he never made it that far. HitchBOT was dropped off at Elfreths Ally in Philadelphia (the oldest residential street in the United States) around 4 AM after a night out with local YouTuber Jesse Wellens, and was destroyed beyond repair by vandals sometime shortly after. Photographs of HitchBOT's headless body were sent to his "family" (the team of researchers based at universities in and around Toronto that created him) and the lead researchers verified that his GPS tracker was no longer functioning.

HitchBOT was an experiment/design project developed primarily by two social scientists Prof. David Harris Smith (Ryerson University, Toronto) and Prof. Frauke Zeller (McMaster University, Hamilton) to examine human interaction with technology as well as to cause people to think critically about trust and safety. HitchBOT was able to communicate verbally using speech recognition, hold limited conversation, could convey several facial expressions using an LCD screen "face", and was equipped with a camera that automatically took pictures every . The key aspect of the experiment was that he was utterly dependent on the kindness of strangers, being unable to move on his own and requiring a car's cigarette lighter or a home outlet to recharge.

CBC | Deutsche Welle | NPR | Toronto Star

----------------------

I suppose it is a good sign that two previous version of HitchBOT were able to travel the length of Germany and Canada with nothing bad happening to them... but it had to happen sooner or later. If this says anything about different countries' approach to trust remains to be seen.

Seriously, though, what sort of jerk utterly destroys a helpless robot with an electronic smiley face on it? HuffPost is normally sort of silly with their headlines but were bang on with "ICYMI: Harmless, innocent Canadian robot meets its demise in the U.S.".

What dicks.

Hitchbot was a really cool idea, if I had gotten a chance me and hitchbot would've hit the tittybar before I drove to the state line.

Another reason to hate Pennsylvania.

Yeah, fuck you too, buddy.

[Stellonia]

Is there any practical use for these robots?

[Morrow den]

Honestly why is everyone so sad about this robot? I mean I wouldn't destroy it but thats what you get for putting it in philly cheese steak land.

[Grenartia]

HitchBOT was an experiment/design project developed primarily by two social scientists Prof. David Harris Smith (Ryerson University, Toronto) and Prof. Frauke Zeller (McMaster University, Hamilton) to examine human interaction with technology as well as to cause people to think critically about trust and safety.

Is there any practical use for these robots?

lrn 2 read

Honestly why is everyone so sad about this robot? I mean I wouldn't destroy it but thats what you get for putting it in philly cheese steak land.

The same reason we all rooted for Johnny Five in Short Circuit.

[Dominated Earth]

It could still get run over without much damage.

Well yeah youre right.

Only in America is the populace too douchey to not smash something just for the sake of smashing it.

Hence why we should give it lasers.

[Daxarnia]

Well yeah youre right.

Only in America is the populace too douchey to not smash something just for the sake of smashing it.

Hence why we should give it lasers.

Or a rocket launcher...

[Fluvique]

Canadian robot?

[Scyobayrynn]

Honestly why is everyone so sad about this robot? I mean I wouldn't destroy it but thats what you get for putting it in philly cheese steak land.

No one cares about the robot, its the principle of the thing.

Here was an experiment. Here was someone else's property, and for no other reason than they could a few douche bags smashed it, now we all know there are douche bags in Germany, and Douche bags in Canada. But this same experiment was completed in both those countries.

While in the US the thing left MA and only made it to PA before it got smashed.

Do you understand it didnt make it one quarter of the way before it got smashed?

Doesnt matter if it was a toaster with a note glued to it... its the principle.

[Polar Svalbard]

Well yeah youre right.

Only in America is the populace too douchey to not smash something just for the sake of smashing it.

Hence why we should give it lasers.

Naw, give it a shotgun... Only way to get respect around here

[Morrow den]

HitchBOT was an experiment/design project developed primarily by two social scientists Prof. David Harris Smith (Ryerson University, Toronto) and Prof. Frauke Zeller (McMaster University, Hamilton) to examine human interaction with technology as well as to cause people to think critically about trust and safety.

Is there any practical use for these robots?

lrn 2 read

Honestly why is everyone so sad about this robot? I mean I wouldn't destroy it but thats what you get for putting it in philly cheese steak land.

The same reason we all rooted for Johnny Five in Short Circuit.

Oh man I am now getting nostalgia from remembering short circuit.

[Herskerstad]

We're all losing our minds over a fucking robot. It's bad, but it's not the end of the world.

I thought upstanding true American conservatives were supposed to be all about protecting people's property?

It's Philly, hardly a conservative bastion.