Hitchhiking Robot Embarks on U.S. Vacation

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Would you pick up this hitchhiker?


Hitchhiking Robot Embarks on U.S. Vacation

Last year, we followed with great interest the adventures of hitchBOT, the Canadian robot that hitchhiked its way from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, relying on the kindness of strangers.

This summer, hitchBOT is making its way across America -- with an entire vacation itinerary in mind.

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A joint project between researchers at McMaster University and Ryerson University, hitchBOT was initially designed as a kind of sociology experiment, to see whether a robot could trust humans enough to hitchhike solo across the country.

It could, and did, although snarkier observers noted that surely such an adventure was only possible in Canada — generally considered the planet’s nicest nation-state.

The idea this time around is to cut hitchBOT loose on the highways of America, along with launching a coordinated social media campaign. The hitchBOT team hopes that as word gets out via Twitter and Facebook, travelers will pick up the robot for part of its journey, then pass it along to others or just leave it on the side of the road with its rubberized thumb extended.

The child-sized robot is designed to look friendly and low-tech, with a body made from yard-sale castoffs -- a bucket, rubber boots, even a cake pan lid. But it also carries some high-tech onboard equipment, including a camera, a GPS unit, and a speech software system for carrying on limited conversations.

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