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Hitchhiking robot 'murdered' in the US





The remains of hitchhiking robot named "hitchBOT" were found after only two weeks into its attempted cross-country sojourn in the US. According to a statement on the project's official website, hitchBOT was vandalized in Philadelphia after passing through Boston, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City.

The team received the following photo, showing the robot's remains:
 

It was not yet clear exactly when the incident took place, or why. The perpetrators also have yet to be identified.
 
However, the team behind the small robot would rather focus on the good instead of the bad. “For now we will focus on the question “what can be learned from this?” and explore future adventures for robots and humans.” They also have no intention of trying to find out who is responsible for the vandalism.
 
hitchBOT was a social experiment and brainchild of university professors David Smith and Frauke Zeller. It previously made its way across Canada, Germany, and Netherlands..
 
“Oh dear, my body was damaged, but I live on back home and with all my friends,” said hitchBOT in a parting message for all of his friends on the official website. “I guess sometimes bad things happen to good robots! My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thank you to all my friends.” — Bea Montenegro/TJD, GMA News