Waymo’s coming to Philly, but have we learned nothing from hitchBOT?
Across social media, users reacted to Waymo’s announcement with references to hitchBOT’s death and quips like “prepare to meet your maker” and “we’ll do it again.”
Waymo, the driverless car service, has arrived in Philly for early testing. But the news has some locals reminiscing about what happened the last time a robot came to town — spoiler: it didn’t end well for the robot.
We’re talking about hitchBOT, the joyful child-sized hitchhiking robot created by Canadian researchers in 2013 to study how humans would interact with a robot as it voyaged around the world.
HitchBOT relied on the kindness of strangers to inform and propel its cross-country trips, posting updates on social media, and garnering a devoted fan base. But after surviving treks across the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada, hitchBOT would meet its demise on the streets of Philadelphia in 2015.
Just two weeks after hitting American soil, starting in Boston and eventually ending up on Elfreth’s Alley, hitchBOT was murdered.
Its makers said at the time that the robot was mugged and decapitated, likely stripped for parts.
“HitchBOT’s trip came to an end last night in Philadelphia after having spent a little over two weeks hitchhiking and visiting sites in Boston, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City,” officials said on the robot’s website. “Unfortunately, hitchBOT was vandalized overnight in Philadelphia; sometimes bad things happen to good robots.”
At the time, it was a prime example of Philadelphia’s unofficial motto: “This is why we can’t have nice things” — a sentiment that was recently stirred up again when Philly’s Portal art installation was vandalized and also partially stripped for parts, something officials say hasn’t happened at any other Portal location. It was also incredible fodder for late night TV, earning jabs from Late Night with Seth Meyers and, years later, on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
But now, 10 years after HitchBOT’s brutal death, the little robot’s story is back on the minds of Philadelphians in the form of memes and cautionary tales. Across social media platforms, users reposted Waymo’s official Philly announcement with references to hitchBOT’s death and quips like “prepare to meet your maker” and “we’ll do it again.”
We just hope Waymo is taking notes.