cool but really too protective, imagine if he had a teenage daughter, actually he probably does

Good for him. I remember there was a bad stabbing in that dude's parking lot a few years back. Poor kid died when some crack head tried to rob him of like 20 dollars. I don't expect this will do much for the area though.

EXTERMINATE!!!!!!

A bar and a day care? Good block.

On Monday February 25, 2008, the Bumbot became self aware.

Ya know, this guy should get together with Wang and join forces to create the Ultimate Bumbot with breast message capabilities. Should be a hit with the lady patrons right?

I for one welcome our... nevermind, hardly a threat to humanity. Maybe if it could load vagrants into the meat smoker....

He should advertise all over it. "EAT AT O'TERRILL'S" as He's blasting homeless people. Awesome.

This thing should not be legal. If I'm standing around on a public street and this thing attacked me, I'm lighting it on fire. End of story.

Rufus "The Grinch" Terrill would win many more supporters and likely get much more co-operation if instead of shreiking at the vagrants to "Fuck Off and Die" (or whatever) from his "Bumbot" and assaulting them with water, if he played music and sprayed soup.
Anyone else see any parallels here with the USA in the Middle East?

@Darrone: i think your missing the point.. if your standing around ok if your standing around panning for change or selling drugs

odd as it appears to double as a chair.. think he picks up hookers from afar on that block and motors em back to his lair er bar...

Pretty sweet, but it could use some refinements, like a taser, baseball bat, and maybe a potato cannon. The squirt gun should also be upped to pressure-washer levels.

@Darrone loitering is against the law in most cities, and if you liked loitering around daycares I think you would deserve a squirt from the bumbot.

All it needs is a tophat, monocle, and bulletproof coating. Then this would be the perfect crime fighting weapon.

Maybe a snooty turn-of-the-century cockney accent.

god, his bar is really called "O'terrills"? He loses points for that.

@TonyTriple:

Cockney's not snooty, it's actually "low-brow".

I think they used the term Cockney because Whitechapelbonics was too long.

Replace the water gun with a small firearm or a taser, and I'd buy it.

@John: If he tried to call it Terril O's #81 would have lawyers all over him.

he should mount an M16 on that thing.

In the picture is the robot on the left or the right?

This fucked up device should only be used on anyone who says "I welcome our ( fill in the blank ) Overlords".

The day is coming when people transact legal deals with robots concerning safety and privacy. See [hack-igations.blogspot.com]

@Darrone:
The whole point of the thing is that it's on his private property as are the people he's targeting. So unless you're selling drugs or harassing customers in his parking lot, you got no beef with him.

He tells people to leave before firing. It's saving the police money. Not only should it be legal, it should be more wide spread.

It's just (boiling hot scalding -oops!) water.

if they armed it with soap would it still be inhumane to use on the homeless?

Leave Riff Raff alone, wage war on Magenta instead.

This reminds me of those remote water cannons that scare away birds.

I love the idea, so long as its used in a proper fashion.

The other side of me says provide a safe place for the homeless to go.

if it was effective it would've been put out of service a long time ago.assuming that o'terril doesn't sleep with the remote control under his pillow(thoguh he probably does...)

Are you going to do the follow up article when one of the drug dealers kills him.
I think the guy has a right to protect his business, but some a hole will shoot him.
Should be fun while it lasts.

Way to law down the law. (?)

He's Davros, it's a Dalek.

It's that simple!

@Darrone: Dude, you are upset because you think this is illegal? So you solution is to do somthing illegal by setting it on fire. What a maroon!

He needs to automate it with Roomba brains

I think it should definitely say "Smoke my meat, punk!" just before it lets loose.

@Poon: LOL

how effective is that thing against zombie hordes?

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.

And sues him.

And he loses.

And then he loses the bar.

And then he's a homeless vagrant wandering around where the bar used to be.

And the day care calls the police to come deal with the guy wandering around hollerin' about what used to be.

And then it won't be fun and games anymore.

Good. Vagrants should be round up and made to work in the salt mines.

To all those that are saying "I have every right to stand where I want," if you're on his private property, he has every right to expel you however he sees fit, aside from bodily damage. Loudspeaker and water canon are not bodily damage.

Riff raff... street rat... I don't buy that. If only they'd look closer. Would they see a poor *** Brrllblrlblrlblbblrlb!

Would any other city in America yield a "BumBot" but Atlanta? If you wanna see a whole bunch of BumBots in Atlanta, go to the Wild Mustang on a Saturday nite... guard your bum 'tho.

how is it inhumane to warn bums to leave your property (bar or daycare center) from afar and then squirt them with water? I would not want to go talk to bums all the time. Lots of them are ok, but a few of them are full on psycho and could attack you (seen it happen many times, used to work for public services). All it takes is one scratch from a bum with hep b, c, scabies, oozing wound...

I'd record sound bytes of ED-209 from RoboCop and play them through the loudspeaker at full volume.

That movie was made like 20 years ago and ED-209 STILL freaks me the hell out.

soooooooo....

when the bums/drug dealers kick the rc scooter over, will they be charged with vandalism?

i guess the camera could be used to take photos?

I'm going to laugh when a drunken group of hooligans tips this thing over and pisses on it. Or better yet, loads it up into a truck and sell it for parts. What is he going to do, call the cops? "Officer! This guy stole my security robot after I drenched him for smoking next to my bar!"

@lafond66: my thoughts exactly.

"...if you can successfully fight crime screaming like a lunatic armed only with a squirt gun, more power to you."

Fantastic :)

Wow. This guy has the amazing ability to detect drug dealers and other criminals by mere sight. SOMEBODY GET HIM AND HIS ROBOT IN THE POLICE FORCE, NOW!

needs a chainsaw

@PeterPotamus:
Maybe he hates doin' the timewarp?

Legally speaking, spraying someone with water is an assault. Dufus has a right to demand someone leave his property but he cannot resort to self-help. Although spraying someone with water may seem harmless, there are circumstances where it could be dangerous. Even if it is not dangerous, it is humiliating and insulting. For that, the law views unwanted touching as an assault. Thus, Dufus could be criminally and civilly liable.

Well, if I were the bum, I'd sure get the heck out of dodge - after tipping it over.

@Lorne: If it's his private property, how is he defending a daycare? Is their a bar/daycare open that I'm not aware of? I damn sure hope so. A daycare open to 2am with taxis out front. Peeeerfect.

I can see why it would be successful. Drug dealers by their very nature will avoid unwanted attention - too easy to get arrested. The spotlight combined with the "I've just taken your picture - you better clear out before I call the cops." will work on all but the most psychotic.

@ANoel: 'Rufus "The Grinch" Terrill would win many more supporters and likely get much more co-operation if instead of shreiking at the vagrants to "Fuck Off and Die" (or whatever) from his "Bumbot" and assaulting them with water, if he played music and sprayed soup.'

I think the idea is to keep his property clear of the sorts of folks that make potential customers afraid to get out of their car. Feeding the homeless would be like chumming the water for sharks. Great if you're a shark but doesn't do much for his customers during the feeding frenzy.

People often resort to these tactics after getting the run-around from local police. Although, if he squirted hot soup at them, I'm sure the police would arrest Terrill himself--a lot easier and safer for the cops than drug dealers and urine-soaked homeless.

@Ghede: I hate to break it to you but drug dealers aren't that terribly difficult to spot. If someone hung out in front of your house (for example) all day long and people kept coming up to them and handing them money and getting small packages in return... You don't think you would be able to identify them as a drug dealer. Now imagine that happening every day of the week. You think you wouldn't be able to spot the drug dealer by sight? Would you want them there?

Kudos to him for finding a technological solution to a problem that plagues his business.

@Bizzaro:
Legally it would actually be a battery, not an assault.
I'd wondered about that too because you're correct that the hosing would technically be a battery. But I think the trespass aspect of it casts it in a different light. A court might well find that spraying water on a trespasser does no permanent harm and is a reasonable and proportionate way to deal with the trespasser in the circumstances.
Or maybe not. We'd have to see what the courts would say.