Advice for the robot
Bring a towel, and.. "Don't Panic"
Most right-minded humans are nervous that robots might one day decide to wipe us all off the face of the planet. But might the flesh-and-blood creatures be a threat to the silicon species? That's the question posed by the creators of a new mechanised hitch-hiker, which is set to travel from coast to coast across Canada on a …
Nah some local police would have thought it was a bomb, and called in the bomb squad to blow it up in a controlled manner. In my city a few months back a homeless guy forgot his bag, and they cordoned off the neighborhood for 4 hours before the bomb squad saved us from a homeless guys clothes...
hell look what they did to Aqua Teen Hunger Force art back in 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_bomb_scare
That or it would be thrown in a scrap yard by some junkers who will pick up ANYTHING that looks like it made of metal.
This post has been deleted by its author
"That's the question posed by the creators of a new mechanised hitch-hiker, which is set to travel from coast to coast across Canada on a mission that will test how friendly people will be towards a robot."
So it's some kind of experiment to see how people react and deal with a hitch-hiking toaster, but by publicising it ahead of actually doing it, they're gong to bias the results, making the whole thing pointless.
Oh, wait, no - my mistake; it's not pointless, this 'experiment' is being done for the publicity, rather than the other way around.
Also:
"Also like most other people on the other side of the Atlantic, he has more than 20,000 Twitter followers."
Most people over there have more than 20,000 followers on Twitter? Some might - but most people? Really?
Its supposed to be testing peoples reactions to independant mechanical objects.
Personally -- I'd want to "upgrade" the OS and perhaps enhance the supposed "repertoire" of trivia and jokes. But then I am a bit twisted after ............ far too long in this business.
Headed your way Trevor, I've not seen it hanging about my neck of the woods yet though its supposed to be here somewhere.... All yours to play with.
" It is travelling west towards Victoria, more than 5,000km (3,100 miles) from its home and on the east coast of Canada. "
*And* on the east coast. Victoria is not only not on the east coast it is not on the west coast: it is in fact on Vancouver Island a 1.5 hour ferry ride from the mainland.
Not sure how the robot will cope with the ferry - presumably it won't have the money to pay its fare as a foot passenger, which means someone will have to bring it onto the ferry in their car. Will they be charged to the extra passenger we wonder?
Does anyone have an ETA? I must keep an eye out...
What is with the map? It shows the robot dipping down into Washington on the last leg of the journey. There are several problems with that. Does the robot have a passport? Does it have any cavities to be searched at the border crossing, and if so - are they relatively clean? And why would a robot want to take a ferry from Washington to Vancouver Island when it could travel on the fabulous BC Ferries?
Also, inquiring minds want to know: What is the fare for robots on the ferry? Do they travel free, pay the "seniors" rate or just regular passenger?
I remember some years ago a stolen concrete goose or duck doing this and then there was the teddy bear which went all over the world. So yeah... people react to inanimate objects.
Oh wait.. those were done by ordinary people for kicks and grins. This is being done by Uni types for either grant money in hand or maybe a proposal based on the results for grant money.
Ah.. I see the difference now.
Isn't that just a white Mac Pro with a face?
If someone were to try that in Swansea, it'd get bonked with some Jack shouting "Instagram this you ****ing t**t before I smash 'oo cowin' head in" before they nick its face to stick it in the back of a Corsa and broadcast abuse to people on the Kingsway.