It has been reported that life of a hitchhiking robot, which started its journey from Marblehead in order to explore the US, was cut short by someone in Philadelphia. This has been revealed on robot's website. Last month, the robot began its journey.

The robot that has been named as hitchBOT had travelled a lot since its departure on July 17. It visited Salem, Boston, Marblehead, Gloucester and New York City. However on Saturday, when it was passing through Philadelphia, it was damaged.

Its creators wrote on its website, citing the robot, "Oh dear, my body was damaged. But I live on back home and with all my friends".

It is being considered as a dastardly halt to hitchBOT's mission to arrive at San Francisco. Researchers at Ryerson University in Toronto and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario designed the robot so as to carry out a social experiment.

Frauke Zeller, one of the robot's creators, said, "Usually, we are concerned whether we can trust robots. but this project takes it the other way around and asks: can robots trust human beings?" Researchers didn't provide a photo of damage that the robot has suffered. They said they don't want to disappoint young fans of the robot. They said they would repair hitchBOT.

The robot is 3-feet tall, and weighs nearly 25 pounds. It has been built using a minicomputer and circuit, enclosed in a bucket. David Harris Smith, one of the robot's creators said it seems as if somebody "cobbled together odds and ends to make a robot".