Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




ROBO SPACE
Hitchhiking robot begins journey across U.S.
by Marilyn Malara
Boston (UPI) Jul 18, 2015


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Canada's first hitchhiking robot began its journey across the U.S. Friday and has already landed its first ride.

HitchBOT, a bucket-shaped robot from Ontario, is an art project with a social twist, existing to test the trustworthiness of human strangers on its journey. The bot has a personality of its own, and even a "bucket list" of American hot spots it hopes to visit.

Having started its trip at the Peabody Essex Museum in Boston, the well-traveled bot is expected to rely on helpful strangers to make its way to the Exploratorium San Francisco museum fully intact, and with plenty of stories to tell via social media.

"This trip will be unlike any other," said co-creator Dr. David Harris of hitchBOT, which has already explored Canada, Germany and the Netherlands thanks to helpful humans. "HitchBOT's goal is not only to hitchhike across the U.S., but also to visit a number of historic sites and monuments."

A full American bucket list was posted on its official Twitter page last week; popular destinations listed are Times Square, Disney World, Mt. Rushmore and the Hollywood sign.

"Usually, we are concerned whether we can trust robots," Dr. Frauke Zeller, hitchBOT's other co-creator said in a statement. "But this project takes it the other way around and asks: can robots trust human beings?"

Taking on a life -- and voice -- of its own, hitchBOT is about 3 feet tall and weighs about 25 pounds. It sees the world using "camera vision" and communicates using a microphone and speaker system. Being sociable, the little bot converses with humans using Cleverscript speech technology, allowing it to answer simple questions about its favorite hobbies or where its from. HitchBOT also uses a GPS to sense where it is, and communicates where it wants to go next.

"HitchBOT was very well received as it made its way across Canada, Germany, and the

Netherlands," Zeller said, "proving that robots can indeed trust humans."

"Given that hitchBOT is built out of a bucket, we thought it would be only natural if we let it have a bucket list for this exciting new adventure."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





ROBO SPACE
Robots under test for oil and gas rig duty
Paris (ESA) Jul 14, 2015
A robot building on ESA's ExoMars rover is bidding to win a place on oil and gas production rigs around the world, to work in remote and hazardous environments. This robot, developed by a team led by Spain's GMV, is competing in the Total oil and gas company's Autonomous Robot for Gas and Oil Sites (Argos) Challenge. The three-year competition is encouraging the creation of robots to work on hyd ... read more


ROBO SPACE
Smithsonian embraces crowdfunding to preserve lunar spacesuit

NASA Sets Sights on Robot-Built Moon Colony

Technique may reveal the age of moon rocks during spaceflight

Russia to Land Space Vessel on Moon's Polar Region in 2019

ROBO SPACE
Celebrating 50 years of Martian imagery

Curiosity rover finds evidence of Mars' primitive continental crust

Never Get Lost on Mars Again With NASA's New Red Planet Map

Opportunity Rover's 7th Mars Winter to Include New Study Area

ROBO SPACE
Space crew praises US-Russian 'handshake in space' 40 years on

Planetary Resources' First Spacecraft Successfully Deployed

NASA selects leading-edge concepts for continued study

US selects four astronauts for commercial flight

ROBO SPACE
Chinese earth station is for exclusively scientific and civilian purposes

Cooperation in satellite technology put Belgium, China to forefront

China set to bolster space, polar security

China's super "eye" to speed up space rendezvous

ROBO SPACE
Student satellite wins green light for Station deployment

'Jedi' astronauts say 'no fear' as they gear for ISS trip

Relief as Russian cargo ship docks at space station

Loss of SpaceX Cargo Resupply Mission No Threat to ISS Crew Security

ROBO SPACE
Ariane 5 orbits Star One C4 and MSG-4 on Arianespace's sixth flight in 2015

CRS-7 Investigation Update

EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite arrive in French Guiana

Ariane 5 lofts two geo birds for teleco and weather customers

ROBO SPACE
Astronomers bring a new hope to find 'Tatooine' planets

The Planetary Sweet Spot

ARIEL mission to reveal 'Brave New Worlds' among exoplanets

Bricks to build an Earth found in every planetary system

ROBO SPACE
Trapped light orbits within an intriguing material

For faster, larger graphene add a liquid layer

ISS astronauts dodge flying Russian space debris

Indra Finishes Implementation Of Main Center For Paz Satellite




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.