hitchBOT, world famous hitchhiking robot, meets demise in Philadelphia

[As a Philadelphia resident I’m depressed and embarrassed to have to relay this story of the demise of hitchBOT, the hitchhiking robot (for more information about the project see the ISPR Presence News post from August 6, 2014). The picture below from this weekend’s NPR coverage and the concern one of the creators expresses near the end of the AP/CBS News story below indicate the kind of social presence responses hitchBOT evoked. For more details about the crime see the updated story in The Philadelphia Inquirer. –Matthew]

HitchBot with German tourists in Marblehead, MA, July 17, 2015

[Image: HitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, sits with German tourists Sarah Strempel and Eric Vogel in the back seat of a vehicle as they and their companions prepare to leave Marblehead, Mass., after picking-up hitchBot for its first ride on July 17, 2015. Stephan Savoia/AP]

World famous hitchhiking robot meets demise in Philly

August 2, 2015

PHILADELPHIA – A hitchhiking robot that captured the hearts of fans worldwide met its demise in the U.S.

The Canadian researchers who created hitchBOT as a social experiment told The Associated Press that someone in Philadelphia damaged the robot beyond repair early Saturday, ending its first American tour after about two weeks.

“Sadly, sadly it’s come to an end,” said Frauke Zeller, one of its co-creators.

The kid-size robot set out to travel cross-country after successfully hitchhiking across Canada in 26 days last year and parts of Europe. It’s immobile on its own, relying on the kindness of strangers. Those who picked it up often passed it to other travelers or left it where others might notice it.

It started in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on July 17 with its thumb raised skyward, a grin on its digital face and tape wrapped around its cylindrical head that read “San Francisco or bust.”

The robot bounced around the Boston area and was briefly taken to sea. One day, it took in a Red Sox game, checking off one of the items on the bucket list created for it. But hitchBOT never made it off the East Coast.

The creators were sent an image of the vandalized robot Saturday but couldn’t track its location because the battery is dead. They said they don’t know who destroyed it or why.

The robot was designed to be a talking travel companion and could toss out factoids and carry limited conversation. A GPS in the robot tracked its location, and a camera randomly snapped photos about every 20 minutes to document its travels.

During past travels, the robot attended a comic convention and a wedding, and it had its portrait painted in the Netherlands. It once spent a week with a heavy metal band.

With the robot destroyed, Zeller said, she was most concerned about children who loved hitchBOT and followed it on social media. Her team doesn’t plan to release the last photo of it to protect young fans who might be distraught.

“I hope that people won’t be too disappointed, too sad,” she said.

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