Hitchhiking robot embarks on coast-to-coast tour across U.S.

HitchBOT
HitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, is formally introduced to an American audience, during a program at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Co-creator Frauke Zeller introduces hitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, to an American audience during a program at the Peabody Essex Museum Thursday, July 16, 2015, in Salem, Mass.
Co-creator David Harris Smith carries hitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, during its' introduced to an American audience at the Peabody Essex Museum.

By The Associated Press | The Associated Press

PUBLISHED: July 17, 2015 at 4:56 a.m. | UPDATED: June 8, 2016 at 4:45 p.m.

BOSTON — A hitchhiking robot has embarked on its first cross-country tour of the U.S. after similar trips in Canada and Europe.

The robot known as hitchBOT caught its first ride in Marblehead, Mass., on Friday, with plans to end the trip in San Francisco.

Along the way, it has a bucket list that includes sites such as Times Square, Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon.

The humanoid robot can’t move on its own, relying on strangers to drive it from place to place.

Researchers in Canada created the robot as an experiment to study how people interact with it. There are no rules limiting where travelers can take the robot or what they do with it.

Creator Frauke Zeller calls it an “art project in the wild” that invites people to participate.