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.
It's midnight on the streets of Atlanta, and bar owner Rufus Terrill patrols his neighborhood with a rolling crime fighter of his own creation. Meet "Bum-bot," as Terrill describes it; others in his neighborhood call it simply, "Robocop."
It's a barbecue smoker mounted on a three-wheeled scooter, and armed with an infrared camera, spotlight, loudspeaker and aluminum water cannon that shoots a stream of icy water about 20 feet.
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.
Terrill is chasing out unsavory-looking characters from a street corner that resembles a drug dealer's dream at night. more than 20 suspicious people were seen huddling in the dark in the front driveway and side parking lot on this night. some were seen openly making drug deals.
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.
But during the day, it's where young children frolic on a nearby playground at a the Beacon of Light Daycare Center in downtown Atlanta. It has become a nightmare for day care operator Lydia Meredith.
"This whole square is enveloped with homeless people and drug dealers, defecating, urinating, prostituting -- the whole nine yards. And the overflow of that behavior, we get to cleanup every morning," she says.
Terrill, an engineer by trade, is also a board member at the day care center. Tired of cleaning up after the shady characters, he decided to take action. That's when he built his downtown Darth Vader of sorts.
"He's a neighborhood vigilante," says Meredith, "and when he came up with this -- you know, I call it Robocop -- I said, 'Praise God.' "
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.
Atlanta police patrol the area, but say it's difficult to stay on top of the large number of people who roam the streets in the area late at night.
Police Major Lane Hagin says the robot is definitely a different crime-fighting idea. "There's no problem with the robot going up and down the street or being visible or any of the other things it does -- with the exception of spraying water on people."
Hagin adds, "Then, it becomes an assault no matter where it happens."
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.
So far no one has filed charges against Terrill or the robot. But one homeless man who declined to give his name followed Terrill and his robot down the street and laughingly told him, "I know about you. I can sue you for assault."
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?
Terrill bought his bar four years ago knowing nothing about the restaurant business. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor of Georgia in 2006. He's had ongoing problems with people breaking into his bar and stealing things, but it was the day care center problems that spurred him on to create the robot.
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.
"If you're throwing condoms out on the side of the playground, if you're throwing needles, you're throwing crack pipes out there, I'm not going to let those kids be out there like that. I'm going to stop you."
On this night, as Terrill and his robot make their way to the street corner, he shines the robot's spotlight on the parking lot of the daycare center. One by one, the shadowy figures stand up, walk away and saunter down the street.
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.
