Homegrown security bot heckles vagrants, longs to be a real cop

Rufus Terrill's stocky handmade robot is more than your average drinking buddy -- in fact, the four-foot tall, 300-pound robotic security guard makes it his job to discourage vandals and vagabonds from marring the streets of Atlanta. The inventor is an engineer-turned-bar owner who got tired of drifters and thieves hanging around his business undeterred. Rather than calling in the professionals, he constructed a remote controlled robot that can flash a spotlight, blast out water and resist even the toughest of 40oz. cans that inevitably come its way. Best of all, he can even make the creature talk, and apparently, its array of scare tactics has been fairly effective thus far. Talk about protecting and serving.

[Via MetaFilter]

[Kabadisha @ Feb 27th 2008 7:10AM]

If this thing chased me, I'd nick it... Free project parts FTW!

[AntiMatter @ Feb 27th 2008 7:35AM]

Slow news day then ...

[Dante @ Feb 27th 2008 7:37AM]

Beer comes in 40oz. bottles not cans.

[Flashpoint @ Feb 27th 2008 7:54AM]

What about Fosters?

[mattydread @ Feb 27th 2008 9:04AM]

That would be a "tinnie" then.

[Brendon @ Feb 27th 2008 9:40AM]

The standard Fosters oil can is 25.4 oz.(about one and a half pints)
Fosters Bitter is oner of my favorite beers.

[tacticus @ Mar 1st 2008 7:12PM]

Fosters is not beer.
It's piss in a tin sold to people who don't know what beer is

[souravgh @ Feb 27th 2008 8:04AM]

Squirt..

[Eric @ Feb 27th 2008 8:15AM]

(In my best outrageous French Accent)

"Now go away, before I taunt you a second time!"

[phanbouy @ Feb 27th 2008 10:06AM]

Your mother was a hampster and your father smelt of elderberries!

[Russ Hughes @ Feb 28th 2008 8:12AM]

I think you mean 'hamster'

[DeadlySeven @ Feb 27th 2008 8:18AM]

Fosters ewww

[Bucky @ Feb 27th 2008 8:23AM]

What, no "I for one" or "Can it blend" yet? I bet it could beat me at doom though.

[GameboyRMH @ Feb 27th 2008 9:40AM]

I, for one, welcome our new 300 pound water-shooting armor-covered security guard drone overlords.

[Jason @ Feb 27th 2008 9:21AM]

Man I love me some Sweetwater. I might have to find this guys bar just to check out his robot.

[Kurian @ Feb 27th 2008 9:43AM]

But can it play an AI controlled NCP in Doom?

[Cocky Today @ Feb 27th 2008 9:44AM]

what? no video?!!

[Joe T. @ Feb 27th 2008 9:47AM]

40s come in cans now? What's next-- cats and dogs sleeping together?

[Hoag @ Feb 27th 2008 10:04AM]

Cool, this bar is less than a mile from my office, I've gotta go check out the bumbot!

[Buddy @ Feb 27th 2008 10:07AM]

I live less than a block from his bar. I love that guy!

He used to go around the place and get people to go "bumspotting" with him. He's chase bums out of a public park at night with a flashlight.

And I probably shouldn't tell you about the grappling hook (the local police asked him to stop using it because they were worried someone would get hurt).

[Craig @ Feb 27th 2008 10:53AM]

Sounds like this guy's really committed to addressing the root causes of homelessness in Atlanta.

[J. Evans Turner @ Mar 9th 2008 12:13PM]

@Craig:
He's targeting drug dealers / users around a children's playground area. He's also announcing through the remote loudspeaker what is going to happen to those who don't comply (they will be doused with icy water). Giving them an opportunity to leave and giving a warning means that it can't be called "assault".

I applaud the man.

[Marco @ Apr 25th 2008 4:31PM]

Umm, yeah, I don't know what infomercial you got your law degree from, but if you attack someone, even if you warn them first, it's still assault.

[OneLove @ Feb 27th 2008 10:54AM]

This is what happens when a engineer-turns-bar owner-turns-inventor.

[blueeyesm @ Feb 27th 2008 11:00AM]

Should have shaped it a bit more like a cone, used a toilet plunger on the protruding end, with round dome like bumps on its lower half, with it yelling "Extricate!"

[Truthjerk @ Feb 27th 2008 12:07PM]

The first Dalek?

[The Jeremy @ Feb 27th 2008 12:37PM]

Every self-respecting cyborg/robot needs to prove its superiority by mastering the usage of a toilet plunger as a functional arm.

[coco @ Feb 27th 2008 6:42PM]

crazy...I live down the street from this bar...I've even gone there a couple of times. I've never seen the 'bumbot' but I have seen the sketchy people hanging out in front of it. That area is a um...'tarnished.'

[Master Bruce @ Feb 27th 2008 12:51PM]

Its just a matter of time before he gets sued by the ACLU.

[Darren @ Feb 27th 2008 10:04PM]

Two words: Chopping Mall

[Noah @ Feb 28th 2008 1:13PM]

Number 5, is [belch] wasted...

[Harbo @ Feb 27th 2008 1:20PM]

hello... i see you... deploying... are you still there... ow ow ow ow... i dont blame you....

[theFuzzyWarble @ Feb 27th 2008 1:54PM]

Ex-Ter-Mi-NATE!@#

[Nye @ Mar 7th 2008 6:22AM]

Found a video of it here: http://www.ajc.com/multimedia/content/multimedia/video/index.html?clip=66347

[eric @ Apr 25th 2008 10:01PM]

Or he could have invested that time and money in developing better social programs to help the disenfranchised be less of a supposed nuisance to the city.

Way to go, whitey.