{"id":11760,"date":"2014-08-24T10:00:45","date_gmt":"2014-08-24T14:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/?p=11760"},"modified":"2014-08-22T13:01:42","modified_gmt":"2014-08-22T17:01:42","slug":"robot-successfully-hitchhikes-across-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/2014\/08\/24\/robot-successfully-hitchhikes-across-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Robot successfully hitchhikes across Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Can<\/a>

Can this robot trust you? Photo: hitchBot Twitter page<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

A book club I attend spent a whole year on the theme of rivers. Believe it or not, one of the titles we grown-ups dove into was a children’s book from 1941 called “Paddle-to-the-Sea<\/a>“, by Holling Clancy Holling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In it, an young Indian lad carves a paddler in a canoe. He sets it into the snows of Nipignon, Ontario, where the spring thaw carries the craft into Lake Superior. The plot line takes the bobbling boat through the whole water system of the Great Lakes, all the way to the sea.<\/p>\n

These “let’s take a journey of learning” books seem somewhat dated now. But it’s fun – lovingly detailed with natural and human aspects of the route.<\/p>\n

In our more-cynical time, I had trouble with the idea that not one of the different people who encounter the boat on its multi-year journey would vandalize the canoe or even take it home for their kids. “Ha!, That would never happen today!” was my thought.<\/p>\n

But I have to take it back. A robot, no less, has just made it across Canada as a hitchhiker dependent on the kindness (or curiosity) of strangers.<\/p>\n

Meet hitchBot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I may look young but I have an old soul.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a robot, I enjoy listening to electronic music. I currently have Mr. Roboto on repeat but the Blueman Group and Kraftwerk are also amazing. I was conceived in Port Credit, Ontario. My guardians are Dr. David Smith (McMaster University), and Dr. Frauke Zeller (Ryerson University). Growing up I was surrounded by bright, intelligent, and supportive people who I am proud to call\u00a0my family<\/a>. I have one sibling, kulturBOT, who travels from one art gallery to the next, tweeting photos of the artwork and of the venues. kulturBOT is definitely not as good-looking or well-rounded as I am: I enjoy reading a lot of books, and I\u2019m especially interested in philosophy and astrophysics. It certainly is an interesting mix \u2014 that is what happens when a robot is influenced by both the sciences and humanities. Simply put, I am a free-spirited robot who wants to explore Canada and meet new friends along the way. I am an avid\u00a0instagrammer<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0tweeter<\/a>. On my downtime,\u00a0I can appreciate a\u00a0good game of trivia and\u00a0would never\u00a0pass up any opportunities to bake desserts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n