RIP HitchBOT, A Hitchhiking Robot Who Was Too Good For America

HitchBOT, the Canadian hitchhiking robot who made it through Canada and Europe on the kindness of stranger drivers, only lasted two weeks in the United States.

After starting his statewide hitchhiking journey in Marblehead, Massachusetts, an unknown assailant destroyed hitchBOT somewhere in Philadelphia. According to Mashable, the robot’s creators received a picture of the vandalized robot on Saturday but were unable to track him down because his battery is dead.

Ironically, hitchBOT was created to test the kindness of strangers, and enjoyed such kindness:

Its American journey 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, attended a Red Sox game and was even briefly taken to sea. But tragically, hitchBOT never made it off the East Coast.

The Paleofuture blog included a picture from journalist Lauren O’Neal, as seen above, which supposedly shows how HitchBOT’s body was found.

In the meantime, HitchBOT remains optimistic till the end.

Pour one out for HitchBOT tonight.

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