1:54 PM
Hitchhiking Robot's US Tour Ended By Vandals
A hitchhiking robot which relied on the kindness of strangers has had its tour of the US cruelly cut short – after someone in Philadelphia damaged it beyond repair.
HitchBOT, who had successfully managed to travel across Canada and parts of Europe, began its latest epic journey in Massachusetts on 17 July.
With a sign taped to its head that read "San Francisco or bust", the immobile robot was designed to be a social experiment – with a smile on its face and its thumbs skyward.
HitchBOT was damaged in Philadelphia
Although it managed to enjoy a Red Sox game, and even take a trip out to sea – both accomplishments on the robot's bucket list – researchers who were tracking hitchBOT using GPS were emailed a photograph of the robot after it had been vandalised.
The robot is usually passed between travellers, or left in a visible place for passers-by to give the child-sized machine a lift.
It was fitted with a camera to take a photograph of its adventure every 20 minutes – and could even engage in limited conversation with its travel companions, offering random factoids to keep them entertained.
During a recent stint of Europe, hitchBOT attended a Comic Con event, a wedding, spent a week with a heavy metal band… and even had its portrait painted.
Frauke Zeller, hitchBOT's co-creator, said: "Sadly, sadly it's come to an end. I hope that people won't be too disappointed, too sad."
The team behind hitchBOT do not plan to release the photograph they received of the damaged machine, for fear of upsetting young enthusiasts who were keeping track of the robot's travels.
