Just over 10 years ago, a hitchhiking robot began a quest to travel across the continental United States, powered only by the kindness of human strangers.
Two weeks later, its journey was cut short — along with various parts of it — near Old City’s historic Elfreth’s Alley, launching a hoax video of the act, some debate about where exactly it happened, and a global wave of stories about the irony of it happening in the “City of Brotherly Love.”
“Oh dear, my body was damaged, but I live on back home and with all my friends,” an Instagram account following the social experiment posted one last time. “I guess sometimes bad things happen to good robots! My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thank you to all my friends.”
To commemorate the friendly robot’s tragic Philly visit, Elfreth’s Alley Museum is hosting a First Friday free event this week.
The idea for the event was inspired by an April Fool’s Day post this year by popular social media account Old Cilly advertising a fake inaugural “Rust in Peace” festival remembering hitchBOT’s legacy.
“HitchBOT’s story is a fascinating reminder of human-robot decapitations, and we’re excited to celebrate its memory in a fun and family-friendly way,” the account claimed an artificial intelligence spokesperson said about the fictitious event.
Music and film producer Jeff Winner, who runs Old Cilly and has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, said he’s “always been mildly obsessed with the hitchBOT story,” partly because he lives near where hitchBot met its untimely demise. The April Fool’s post also served as a pitch to the Elfreth Alley Association and the community to actually celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the incident.
And it worked.
“We got so many good reactions, so many people saying things like ‘Oh, I wish this was real,’ so we decided to make it happen,” he told Billy Penn.
Winner said he would also like to see the celebration turned into an annual event, like the initially proposed “Rust in Peace” festival was slated to be.
“It could grow annually and be something on the level of Punxsutawney Phil,” he said.
For this Friday’s real event, the museum’s description says the attendees will be able to learn more about hitchBOT’s mission and more successful trips across Canada and Europe. There will be a chance for people to build their own hitchBOT and collect swag, including a temporary robot tattoo and sticker.
There will even be a message from the bot’s creators, Canadian professors David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller. Winner tracked them down and interviewed them for about an hour last month.
Complimentary beer will be provided — fittingly — by Human Robot Brewery, served along with other refreshments.
The event runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The museum will also be open free of charge during the event.
The post ‘Rust in peace, hitchBOT’: Elfreth’s Alley Museum celebrates the 10th anniversary of a robot that deserved better appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.
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