NEWS: Vigilante Builds Robot, Cleans Up Streets

CULTURE: Vigilante Builds Robot, Cleans Up Streets

Who doesn't love a vigilante? Criminals, that's who. (Sure, innocent bystanders, overworked cops and the wrongly accused probably aren't real big on them either, but, hey, you can't please everyone!)

From Hemingway patrolling for Nazi U-boats... to Thelma and Louise... to Frank Castle himself... and now, a new name is added to that legendary crew.

Oh man, if you tell me that thing is still capable of barbecuing I think we may be looking at the invention off the century. This is awesome, he's keeping the ne'er do wells moving along and since he's not actually armed, there's no danger of anyone ending up dead.

Although I question the effectiveness of a robot guard who appears vulnerable to someone placing a garbage can over him, rendering his spotlight, water gun and camera ineffective.

Drugs dealers?? I may have to retract the no one "ending up dead" part. While hardly an expert on the subject, from my understanding, drug dealers aren't real big on getting told what to do. Nor on getting squirted with water. They are big on killing people though, that much has been established.

I know he's using a remote control to operate the 'bot, but I can't imagine the range on in is that far. Plus, there's this article, which conveniently points out that the man behind the automaton is the guy from the bar down the block. You know, the guy, as opposed to the robot, not wearing armor.

I don't know, this seems more and more like a time bomb situation, but I hope for the best. Part of me wishes he'd built a trash-picking-up machine instead. Hell, maybe he can use the water cannon to blow the debris away... I've seen that done. Anything to eliminate the "kooky inventor vs. drug dealers" aspect. I'm just not sure Doc Brown here is up to it.

Unless every fiftieth water blast is a bullet. That'd be a nice trick up the ole sleeve.

Assault? Yeah, maybe it's an assault if the person you just hit is the Wicked Witch of the West, otherwise, it's a nuisance. I'd love to get look at exactly the kind of person who presses charges on a water blast. To see just how sissified they are, that something on this scale wounds them so deeply.

I have no idea why this quote was included in the article. Really? What'd the hobo do next, piss himself before going on a rant about the government chip in his head?

Try running again, I think things may turn out different. Politicians, good luck running against the human/robot ticket. The only thing that beats that is "dragon" and, obviously, they hate politics.

Godspeed Terrill... keep it up. And seriously, think about swapping the water for a gasoline/lighter combo. There's a reason the Punisher doesn't carry a super soaker.



Here's some video of Bum Bot in action.


TheCoolerKing enjoys few things as much as a good robot story.

Fictitious conversation between two dope dealers that just moved to a new area:

Number 1: Hey, you new?

Number 2: Yeah, how 'bout you?

No1: Same here, how so?

No2: Usual shit dude, some foreign cartel moved in and started messing with me and the others...And you? Foreigners too?

No1: No man worse! A fucking BBQ robot vigilante that pissed icy water for over 20 feet started chasing me while screaming "I Am The Law"! I still have nightmares of it appearing here too!

No2: Dude...just stick to selling the damn dope.

Well we have a goverment that keeps cutting funding to the real important sevices to try to get us to pay more taxes. So what do any think is going to happen the people will do what needs to be done to keep our cities safe.

Well... first one to use a robot I guess. But there are also these guys (and girls).

OK, I know progressive liberals are not supposed to like ideas like vigilante justice, but you know, as a mother of a 14 yr mugged in broad daylight on the busiest thoroughfare of our south side chicago neighborhood....

where can I get me one of these???!!!

Headline tomorrow:

Vigilante Sprays Criminal With Water, Gets Stabbed in Throat

Exactly what I was thinking. The homeless don't always have an option. Maybe try helping them get their life in order rather then giving them the 'ole spray down.

The dealers, on the other hand?

Fuck 'em.

The last bit of the original article at CNN, states that 99% of the time, the bright light and the loudspeaker get the people to move along. When he does use the water cannon, he doesn't it spray it directly at the people, he sprays it next to them, or near them and that usually gets them to move on.

The guy who runs the robot is a bar owner and a board member for a local day care center. The drug dealers, prostitutes and homeless gather on the playground at wee hours of the morning. They leave needles, crack pipes used condoms and do such great things as defecate on the playground equipment. This creates a greater cost to the daycare center, because now they have material that they just can't throw in the garbage, and they have to bring a cleaning crew in to clean the playground up prior to opening the daycare.

I wrote an article on this and submitted it *shakes fist at TheCoolerKing* and did a little more research on the robot. When he runs the robot up to the area, he is a safe distance away, and usually hidden. It's not like he is walking directly behind the thing like he is in the video.

I am pretty sure the police department doesn't approve of the water cannon because it's not a Taser. You know how cops like their Tasers.

I kind of admire the guy. In a day and age when people turn to firearms to try to alleviate a situation like this, the guy is using human ingenuity, water, a loud speaker and a bright light.

People always have options. They maybe limited at times, they maybe big or small..but they always have options. That is why it is called free will,..unless of course you believe in predestination and that everyones live is set in concrete and cannot be altered from the grand master plan. Some the homeless don't have options? how bout this option 1) I can go sleep in the kids playground and shit and eat with the drug dealers and hookers and possibly face being super soaked by a robot vigilante or 2) Go sleep somewhere else 3)maybe try and take advantage of the social welfare systems that 200 million taxpayers pay into each year and try and turn my current situation around a little. There is thousands rags to riches stories in the world, of people who had nothing and tried to turn it all round from themselves. Not every hobo is going to be able to do it,..but if one of them manages to clean themselves up, and eventually get a job hauling out rubbish from restaurants for $5 an hour, that is a success story to me of someone that had dick and tried to do something about it...and very least there is option 4) I will at least to try to respect that children play in this area and not shit on their equipment.

Fuck, sorry dude... Feel free to throw it in here as a comment if you like... or whatever. Not the same, I know. I've had that happen twice and it's annoying...

Even if he's covered, the range on that thing can't be far enough to keep him that safe. And it's not like they can't follow the robot back to him. I hope he keeps at it though.

As far as the homeless aspect. I think if you look at the full spectrum of homeless types, from polite down-on-his-lucker to obnoxious, drunk, obscenity spouting rage-ball, a decent percentage of them could do with a little cold water hose down...

It happens, i will find something else to write about. We evidently think alike because this one just sprung out at me, and i thought "A fawking BBQ smoker? srsly?" and then decided everyone needed to know about it.

Temperatures have the potential to get to the low 20's in Atlanta at night. While i agree with spraying them with water is much better than tasing them, or some other violent means, it would definitely suck to get soaked with cold water, then have no place to go to warm up. The prostitutes and drug dealers at least have some type of dwelling to go to, while the homeless are just kind of stuck being cold.

I was glad to see that he doesn't actually squirt them, that he just uses it as a scare tactic.

Damn straight, both counts.

I love how that robot has "security" stenciled on it. I figure when Atlanta is really serious about security robots, though, they'll have to update the design a bit.

This is the coolest thing I've seen all day.

I'm just thinking this guy did it to have fun and show off. If it's his private property he's intent on keeping these people out of, it would have been so much easier just to rig a remote control sprinkler system. But less fun than squirting people with a shit-talking remote-controlled robot.

I want a robot that shoots silly string. We will have silly string fights until I fall to the floor or its batteries die.

i really like the "Angle Grinder Man" who takes the boots off of people's cars. cause if there is one thing i hate more than anythng else it is the exploitive nature of Tow truck companies. I agree that cars should be towed in certain situations (not all the ones that mine have been towed for) I do not agree with the outrageous sums you are forced to pay if you want your car back. To have my car towed not more than 7 miles cost me 255 dollars to get back the next day, had i got it back that night it would have been even more because they weren't open... HOW THE FUCK IS THAT LEGAL!? a fee should be assesed, but not more than 50-60 bucks at most. and if you attack someone who is towing your car, you are the asshole who goes to jail cause there just "doing their job" and causing you to be out a few hundred bucks. fuck tow truck companies! keep taking the boots off you wacky super hero you.

Having had the joy of working for a towing company, you do have to realize something. I don't make the rules. I am a chimp driving a truck. You tell me what cars to hook, and that's what i do. I personally don't care what the deal is. I was told by a cop to tow your car. Plain and simple, you want to attack someone, attack the cop.

I have no ability to change the rate of a tow, i have no ability to change he rate of storage after i have towed. I am being paid 10-12 dollars an hour to tow a car. that's it. I am personally not involved with the situation, i don't know all the details, and to tell you the truth, i really don't care, i just want to tow the car so the cop will stop harassing me.

When people were parked illegally, and i was called by the city to perform the tow, and people started jumping my shit, i would simply point to the guy in the uniform and say "talk to him" i am just here to tow. I will try to be gentle with your car, seeing as that i know how much they cost to buy and maintain. If you are not gentle with me, and take a swing at me, all bets are off.

The only thing possibly worse than an irate person who parked illegally, is an irate person who is having a car repossessed. I hated doing repo-tows with a passion.

yes, i understand that they are just doing their job. that is why i said i hate Tow Truck Companies, it just trickles down to drivers because they are the most visible aspect of those companies, and therfore the object of most of my rage. So I guess I am saying I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night. He's (or she's) gotta be strong and he's/she's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be fresh from slashign tow truck tires all night... yeah, i need a hero to stick it to the tow truck companies, but of course they would just buy more tires and maybe raise their prices as a result. But I'd feel better in some way. and sometimes drivers sem like vultures, like when i drive through an area of town where parking is hard to come by and you see a few tow trucks just chilling and waiting... fuck em. and for the record i have never attacked a tow truck driver, but i still think about it.

Really? Cause I was homeless when I was 15 due to bad choices my father made. Where were my options then?

Oh didn't you KNOW as a 15 yr old, MisterSatan that you could've gone to a really GREAT group home where I am so sure you would NOT have been beaten, robbed, and raped...?

Ah thanks MrKatos. I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of Daleks.
I'm such a nerd.