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Globe-trotting hitchBOT returning to Canada for possible rebuild

The image of the dismembered hitchBOT has gone viral after it was destroyed in Philadelphia on Friday. KYW / CBS

A hitchhiking robot whose world adventures were cut short over the weekend when it was destroyed on a street in Philadelphia may not be done travelling just yet.

The researchers behind of hitchBOT say their child-sized creation, who travelled from place to place with the help of strangers, is being shipped home to Canada.

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The solar panel-powered robot had successfully thumbed rides across Canada and through parts of Europe when it was dismantled early on Saturday while trying to find a lift out of Philadelphia.

READ MORE: Canadian hitchBOT creators mull rebuild after robot destroyed in Philly

Its arms were ripped and its head was missing.

Researchers say that a widely circulated surveillance video claiming to document the vandalism was fake.

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HitchBOT’s creators say the droid could be reassembled, taken back to Philadelphia and allowed to complete its U.S. travels.

Another option, they say, is to create a new robot that would be sent on student-devised adventures through Canadian schools.

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