Hitchhiking robot thumbs its way across Canada

Dr. Frauke Zeller of Ryerson University and Dr. David Harris Smith of McMaster University with hitchBOT, a charming robot assembled using household parts. The robot is hitchhiking more than 6,000 kilometers across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment, asking can robots trust humans. “We (as a society) are usually concerned with whether we can trust robots,” explained Zeller, Hitchbot’s co-creator and assistant professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, told AFP. She pointed to cautionary Hollywood movies such as “The Terminator,” or “The Matrix” featuring machines as enemies of mankind.”This project turns our fear of technology on its head and asks: can robots trust humans?” Zeller said. “Our aim is to further discussion in society about our relationship with technology and robots, and notions of safety and trust.” The multidisciplinary project brings together humanities, mechanical engineering, computer programming and more.