Watch the Phoenix rise from ashes because hitchBOT looks like it might have another go at life in 2016.
HitchBOT’s Inconvenient Decapitation
Last week we reported that the beloved hitchhiking robot, hitchBOT, had met an unfortunate demise in Philadelphia as it was trying to make its way cross-country to San Francisco, California. HitchBOT was a world traveler — having previously trekked across Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands — and was mourned by people across the globe.
HitchBOT was meant to be a social experiment. One that would study how humans might interact with robots in a very natural environment. In a series of unfortunate events, hitchBOT discovered one of the darkest sides of humanity moments before the robot was decapitated by vandals.
The hitchBOT team in Ontario, Canada says they still don’t know who is responsible for the violent attack, but they’re not worried about finding out who it was either. After all, part of hitchBOT’s reason for existing was to study human behavior.
The Rebirth of HitchBOT
The previous vessel that carried the traveling robot’s mind was damaged beyond repair, according to hitchBOT co-creator Dr. David Harris Smith.
In a recent conversation with Mashable, Smith talked about what it would take to reignite the project. According to Smith, hitchBOT only cost the team around $3,000, but that the two creators spent quite some time on programming the robot. At their best estimate, it would take them at least three months to get another hitchBOT up and running again.
When news hit about the team having an interest in putting another robot together, lots of people took to Twitter in order to tweet their support for the project. Many people who either had experience building robots, or knew someone interested, said that they would be more than happy to help contribute to the project in any way they could.
The team still hasn’t given the green light on the project, but things are looking promising.
Where is hitchBOT Now?
Surprisingly, the team still hasn’t seen the destroyed hitchBOT outside of pictures that fans have submitted. In a press release addressing the incident, the team said that the mangled robot’s body had been found by fans, and was in the process of being sent back to be reunited with its family in Canada.
The team also made mention that they are considering an idea that involves introducing hitchBOT to schools to interact with children. One way or the other, fans are looking forward to seeing hitchBOT back in action real soon.
ROBOTS CAN BE CUTE, TOO
