Need a smile?

Smile! It’s Tweenbot!

Come on, he’s adorable, you’ve got to admit. He’s part of an imaginative postgrad project to see if bystanders will help a lil 10″ dude (who can only move in a straight line) reach his destination.

This story has probably already gone viral, and you’ve probably already seen it  (whereas I live in a cave and am usually the last to hear about anything). But in case you haven’t seen the story, check it out. Be sure to watch the video. It’s good for a smile or three.

Thanks to Chris over at Blogging with Badger for finding this story. And kudos to Kacie Kinzer for her clever tweenbot project.

My son observed that if he lived in NY and saw something like this coming down the sidewalk, he’d probably call 9-1-1. Bomb on board? I was all peace and love, and he sure brought me down fast. But I suppose that’s part of the study, too — seeing how people react. On this day, everyone was helpful. On another day, tweenbot might meet my son. Watch the video, then picture a NYC bomb squad surrounding the robot, clearing and sealing off the area, sending in one of their own robots to poke and sniff, and ultimately nudging Tweenbot into a steel drum to be hauled off to a vacant lot and blown up. Bummer.

Or in my alternative scenario, send Tweenbot through some neighborhood less friendly than Wash Park and see if the tough guys let him through or squash him like a bug. No bets on that. Just wondering. I wouldn’t want to see Kinzer in such a neighborhood, even in the interest of science.