HNGN first reported about the robot called hitchBot in June last year as it was about to begin an unusual objective: to traverse Canada, hitchhiking on its own. It cannot walk and must rely on sheer charisma to be invited in the backseat. The next series of stories chronicled the robot getting its first ride, then, the successful completion of the trek that covered 3,870 miles. hitchBot then continued its caper in Europe, successfully hitchhiking its way across Germany and parts of the Netherlands. This July, it finally began its U.S. tour, starting in Boston with a goal of reaching San Francisco. hitchBot never made it, however, as he was destroyed in Philadelphia last weekend.
Data retrieved from the robot showed that it was vandalized while waiting for the next ride. YouTube celebrity Jesse Wellens and his friend Ed Bassmaster were the last people to pick it up. The robot's live map indicates it was last seen around Elfreth's Alley and 2nd Street, where Wellens and Bassmaster left it.
