Heather Hobson
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What does a small business owner do when he’s tired of his pub getting broken into? He builds a robot, of course. Atlanta pub owner Rufus Terrill is an upstanding citizen, he’s owned his successful business for four years and sits on the board of a nearby child care center. But he’s angry about crime in the area, mostly due, he says, to a homeless shelter in the neighborhood. Late at night he rolls out his “Bum Bot” to scare off the homeless people loitering on the sidewalks near his pub and the child care center. Replete with a glowing red cyclops eye, a water cannon, loudspeaker and 2 mile video transmitter, Terrill is taking the law into his own hands. Bum Bot definitely has its critics, but it seems to be working. Loiterers are intimidated by Bum Bot and they move on.  An environmental engineer by day, Terrill gathered the makings of his vigilante for three months. A three-wheel scooter gives the Bum Bot mobility. A home-alarm loudspeaker attached to a walkie-talkie gives it a voice. Its head is a former home meat-smoker. The red lights are from a 1997 Chevrolet, and it's powered by four car batteries.
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