HitchBOT

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hitchbot

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the robot design focus?Social interaction, public trust, and human-robot collaboration
2. What is the initiating institutions?McMaster University and Toronto Metropolitan University
3. Why did HitchBOT need people to give it rides?It was designed to be vulnerable and rely on human kindness. The goal was to see if strangers would help and trust a robot.
4. How did HitchBOT travel across countries?It hitchhiked by getting rides from drivers in Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. Its camera, GPS, and cellular modem let it share its journey online.

Societal Interaction: The way individuals and groups behave and communicate within a community or society.
AI Ethics: The branch of ethics that studies and regulates the moral implications of artificial intelligence.
Autonomous Vehicles: Vehicles capable of sensing their environment and operating without human involvement.