Vigilante 'robot' keeps Atlanta safe

An American pub owner has created an electronic vigilante in the form of a water pistol-wielding 'robot' to patrol his Atlanta neighbourhood.

The Bum Bot, as inventor Rufus Terrill calls it, is waist-high, weighs about 300lb and is emblazoned with the word "SECURITY". It is fitted with bright red lights, a blazing spotlight, an infrared video camera and a turret-mounted water cannon on a spinning turret.



Mr Terrill's creation has been on the beat since September, angering some neighbours and the city's homeless, who say the talking box is intimidating.

In fact, the contraption is not a robot at all. It is remotely controlled by Terrill, who can transmit messages through its loudspeaker, giving the Bum Bot a voice. Mr Terrill, 57, says since the Bum Bot took to the streets, people feel safer and there has not been a burglary while the robot has been on patrol.