Free Republic

<p>First things first. “HitchBOT,” for all practical purposes, was a garbage can with an iPhone in it.</p>

--snip-- surveillance video showing a man attacking the robot. He posted it to Shapchat and it was later added to Twitter by another user. The video seems to show that just before 6 a.m. Saturday morning, a man in a backward hat and a sports jersey -- which Deadspin identified as #12 on the Eagles, Randall Cunningham -- having ripped off HitchBOT's arms, stomped on it repeatedly. There is no clear motive, though boredom, drunkenness or a strong reaction to the robot's brand of humor could have all come into play. HitchBOT's parents said they won't grieve for their fallen...

Only two weeks into an attempt to travel across the United States, the friendly hitchhiking robot's journey has ended in Philadelphia after being beaten to a pulp. HitchBOT, who was created by a team of communication researchers from Ontario, was found damaged beyond repair early Saturday in the city of brotherly love.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A hitchhiking robot that captured the hearts of fans worldwide met its demise in the U.S. The Canadian researchers who created hitchBOT as a social experiment told The Associated Press that someone in Philadelphia damaged the robot beyond repair early Saturday, ending its first American tour after about two weeks.

Let’s be honest, whether fair or not, Philadelphia has a certain reputation. It’s a city where football fans booed and threw snowballs at Santa Claus. Baseball fans once threw D cell batteries (the big ones) at visiting outfielder J.D. Drew. And now, it’s where an adorable robot who was only counting on the kindness of strangers to hitchhike across the country was vandalized, effectively ending his summer trip. hitchBOT’s trip came to an (Friday) night in Philadelphia after having spent a little over two weeks hitchhiking and visiting sites in Boston, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City. Unfortunately, hitchBOT...