ximmy
5th August 2015, 08:06 PM
Death of Hitchhiking Robot a Sad Commentary on America By Richard Edmondson (http://www.veteranstoday.com/author/edmondson/) on August 3, 2015
http://www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/hitchbot.jpg
America has a reputation of being one of the most violent nations on earth, and it looks like it has just lived up to its reputation–that is, if you consider the dismemberment of a friendly, hitchhiking robot to be an act of violence.
The creators of “Hitchbot” are a couple of Canadians named Frauke Zeller and David Harris Smith, who programmed the talking robot it so that it would appeal for rides from passing motorists, and then be friendly and communicative once picked up by them.
For Zeller and Smith it was basically a social experiment. And it was going rather well, too! Last year Hitchbot successfully hitchhiked all the way across Canada–and after completing its Canadian odyssey, it then proceeded–once again by thumbing rides from the side of the road–to traverse Germany and The Netherlands as well!
“Americans are saying, ‘Yeah, they’re doing that up in Canada. Canadians are crazy. It’ll probably work in Canada. It would never work here, because here in the States we would put it into the ditch or shoot it.’”
Smith’s comment, as I say, was made a year ago, and the words have now proven to be remarkably prophetic. About two weeks ago, Hitchbot was brought to the US to begin another hitchhiking journey. The trip started in Boston; the robot made it as far as Philadelphia.
You can go here (http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-hitchbot-destroyed-20150803-story.html) to read an article posted today in the L.A. Times about the sad demise of Hitchbot, who, as the report puts it, was “found maimed and battered beyond repair over the weekend in Philadelphia.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWvYbcEhSbA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWNQ3yUTJo
Whoever Found hitchBOT Brought Him to Meet Kevin Smith Last Night (http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/whoever-found-hitchbot-brought-him-to-see-kevin-smith-l-1722226588)
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--c-ypjMLg--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1372407282396433480.jpg
The hitchBOT story just keeps getting weirder. After getting beheaded in Philly (http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/hitchhiking-robot-lasts-just-two-weeks-in-us-because-hu-1721544551) this past weekend some people thought he’d be lost forever. But that little hitchhiking robot has popped up again. This time hitchBOT made an appearance in Brooklyn with director Kevin Smith.
Apparently whoever found hitchBOT contacted the Canadian researchers that made him and promised that he’d return the mangled robot. But hitchBOT’s rescuers are reportedly huge fans of Kevin Smith and thought hitchBOT should make a little detour.
They reached out to a podcaster named Scott Holden (http://youtube.com/thatmanonfatmanpodcast), host of a podcast about all things Kevin Smith, who encouraged this anonymous person to bring hitchBOT to a Mallrats screening in Brooklyn last night. Which is precisely what they did. Interestingly, they didn’t bring hitchBOT on stage.
Holden emailed me these photos of hitchBOT, taken near last night’s Nitehawk Cinema event. He says that he’ll be telling the whole story about the anonymous person who found hitchBOT on his podcast (http://thatmanonfatman.com) later today.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/hitchbot.jpg
America has a reputation of being one of the most violent nations on earth, and it looks like it has just lived up to its reputation–that is, if you consider the dismemberment of a friendly, hitchhiking robot to be an act of violence.
The creators of “Hitchbot” are a couple of Canadians named Frauke Zeller and David Harris Smith, who programmed the talking robot it so that it would appeal for rides from passing motorists, and then be friendly and communicative once picked up by them.
For Zeller and Smith it was basically a social experiment. And it was going rather well, too! Last year Hitchbot successfully hitchhiked all the way across Canada–and after completing its Canadian odyssey, it then proceeded–once again by thumbing rides from the side of the road–to traverse Germany and The Netherlands as well!
“Americans are saying, ‘Yeah, they’re doing that up in Canada. Canadians are crazy. It’ll probably work in Canada. It would never work here, because here in the States we would put it into the ditch or shoot it.’”
Smith’s comment, as I say, was made a year ago, and the words have now proven to be remarkably prophetic. About two weeks ago, Hitchbot was brought to the US to begin another hitchhiking journey. The trip started in Boston; the robot made it as far as Philadelphia.
You can go here (http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-hitchbot-destroyed-20150803-story.html) to read an article posted today in the L.A. Times about the sad demise of Hitchbot, who, as the report puts it, was “found maimed and battered beyond repair over the weekend in Philadelphia.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWvYbcEhSbA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWNQ3yUTJo
Whoever Found hitchBOT Brought Him to Meet Kevin Smith Last Night (http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/whoever-found-hitchbot-brought-him-to-see-kevin-smith-l-1722226588)
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--c-ypjMLg--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1372407282396433480.jpg
The hitchBOT story just keeps getting weirder. After getting beheaded in Philly (http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/hitchhiking-robot-lasts-just-two-weeks-in-us-because-hu-1721544551) this past weekend some people thought he’d be lost forever. But that little hitchhiking robot has popped up again. This time hitchBOT made an appearance in Brooklyn with director Kevin Smith.
Apparently whoever found hitchBOT contacted the Canadian researchers that made him and promised that he’d return the mangled robot. But hitchBOT’s rescuers are reportedly huge fans of Kevin Smith and thought hitchBOT should make a little detour.
They reached out to a podcaster named Scott Holden (http://youtube.com/thatmanonfatmanpodcast), host of a podcast about all things Kevin Smith, who encouraged this anonymous person to bring hitchBOT to a Mallrats screening in Brooklyn last night. Which is precisely what they did. Interestingly, they didn’t bring hitchBOT on stage.
Holden emailed me these photos of hitchBOT, taken near last night’s Nitehawk Cinema event. He says that he’ll be telling the whole story about the anonymous person who found hitchBOT on his podcast (http://thatmanonfatman.com) later today.