Hitchbot
Latest
The best of Public Access Vol. 8: RIP Hitchbot, Hi Soylent
by08.06.2015
There's a reason your mom told you not to hitchhike -- it can be dangerous, even for friendly, harmless robot creations. This week, the internet mourned the loss of Hitchbot the hitchhiking robot, and started playing the finger-pointing game at some pranksters in Philly (who may or may not have prematurely ended Hitchbot's mission to get to San Francisco -- but apparently did fake the much-viewed video of the bot's demise). Photos of the busted bot quickly circulated, and while its creators have confirmed their experiments with AI and human interaction are not over, it does appear to at least be the end of the line for Hitchbot version one. Since the bot is officially RIP, why not write it a eulogy befitting its adventurous nature and expounding on its achievements?
ICYMI: Keurig-like cocktails, handmade holograms and more
try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414").style.display="none";}catch(e){} #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We break down the lazy man's cocktail machine, filling your bellies with machine-crafted designer drinks for your boozehound friends. An Australian stunt rider rigged a dirtbike to surf the ocean and the video is pretty astounding. And while you wait for Microsoft's HoloLens, you can make a DIY hologram display with little more than a CD jewel case. Doesn't everyone have about 20 of them in the corners of cabinets, no matter how many you swear you've recycled?
Hitchhiking robot lasts just two weeks in the US
Hitchbot might have made it across Canada, but it appears that the US wasn't quite so kind to this mechanical traveler. The hitchhiking robot's American journey has ended after a mere two weeks thanks to a vandal attack in Philadelphia. While the team behind Hitchbot vows that its experiments with artificial intelligence and human interaction are "not over," it's clear that this nomad isn't about to resume its cross-America trek all that quickly. You'll hear more details on August 5th -- here's hoping that this includes plans for Hitchbot to bum rides once again, whether it's in the States or abroad.
ICYMI: Hitchhiking robot, 'Doom' within 'Doom' and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-245360{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-245360, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-245360{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-245360").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: A kid exhibit in New York uses Kinects for an immersive environment experience. A robot is hitchhiking across the U.S. and wants strangers to take it to places like the Grand Canyon for the photo-ops. And game coders hacked up Doom to play another version of Doom inside it.
A hitchhiking robot needs your help getting to California
Normally, picking up hitchhikers is a really bad idea. You never know what sort of ax-wielding entrepreneur you're going to get. But if you happen to see this friendly LED face on the side of the road, consider giving it a lift. That face belongs to hitchBOT, of Port Credit, Ontario, Canada. On Friday, it left the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts for an adventure on America's highways. Its final destination: San Francisco's Exploratorium. On the way, hitchBOT hopes to see some sights including Time Square in New York City; Millennium Park in Illinois; Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. If only there were hotels it could stay at or shows it could see along the way. There's no timetable for when it will finally reach the City by the Bay, but you can be sure that it will have plenty of tales to tell once it does.
Hitchhiking robot completes its cross-Canada trip
It looks like robots can trust us humans to take care of them, after all. Hitchbot has successfully completed its hitchhiking trek across Canada, landing in Victoria, British Columbia this past weekend. The ride-bumming robot didn't survive its 4,000-mile journey completely unscathed. Its LED protector was cracked, and its speech had clearly suffered after two weeks of travel (hey, you try talking to people for that long). It doesn't look like there's another adventure in store, but that's okay by us; it clearly accomplished its goals of testing artificial intelligence techniques and human interaction. If you're ever keen to relive the trip, there's a photo gallery available to satisfy your nostalgic side. [Image credit: AP Photo/Ryerson University]
Hitchbot thumbs rides across Canada, makes human friends
Hitchbot, the yellow glove- and Wellies-wearing robot, has started bumming rides across Canada, and by the looks of it, its hosts are having a blast ferrying it to its next drop-off point. The machine with a perpetual LED smile began its journey in Halifax, and it'll travel 4,000 miles until it reaches Victoria, British Columbia. People who pick up Hitchbot are pointed to a website where they can find instructions on how to handle it and where to drop it off. On the way, Hitchbot chats with its host, thanks to its speech recognition capability, or chatters away on its own in case its tablet-and-Arduino brain can't parse what its companion's saying. It also takes pictures every 30 minutes or so to send back to headquarters and upload to its social media accounts.
An adorable, Wellies-wearing robot will bum rides across Canada this summer
Humans have long wondered whether robots can be trusted, but what about the flip side of that question? Hitchbot, a project developed by researchers from McMaster and Ryerson universities, will examine how strangers interact with a bucket-shaped robot as it bums rides across Canada. With a pair of Wellington boots on its feet and pool noodles for arms, Hitchbot will be hitting the road in Halifax on July 27th.
