It seems the tough streets of Philadelphia were too much for a friendly little robot from Ontario. All the Hitchbot wanted to do was see the United States. But just two weeks after starting its cross-country journey in Boston, Hitchbot's trip has come to an unfortunate end. Last night, the cute little robot was vandalized and apparently decapitated in the City of Brotherly Love.

It's a particularly unfortunate end for Hitchbot because the friendly little guy relies on human kindness. See, it can't move on its own; all it can do is recognize human speech and communicate. It also posts updates to social media thanks to a wireless connection.

This wasn't Hitchbot's first trip, either. Last year the robot successfully travelled across Canada, and in the past it's made it across Germany and the Netherlands as well. The Americans, it turns out, have proved not quite so friendly to our metallic cousins.

Hitchbot posted this update on its condition:

Oh dear, my body was damaged, but I live on back home and with all my friends. I guess sometimes bad things happen to good robots! My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thank you to all my friends.

Hear that? This poor little guy deserved so much better. This is a dark day in US history. Thankfully, the trip might not be over for good — the project team says they'll give an update this week with more information on the future of the project. Let's hope Hitchbot gets to live its dream of seeing America's greatest sights.

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