'Bum Bot' shoos loiterers outside Atlanta bar

Bar owner Rufus Terrill has enlisted a rather odd-looking security guard to chase away prostitutes and drug dealers milling about his Atlanta tavern: an R2-D2-like robot called "Bum Bot 2000."

The patchwork device is controlled via remote control and targets law-breakers, reports The Los Angeles Times. But homeless advocates aren't too fond of Terrill's water-squirting Bum Bot.

Read the full Los Angeles Times story: "Robot reports for security duty in Atlanta"

[spruceman]

Easy and proven way to shoo away loiterers. Just blast some easy listening Muzak[tm], classical, or better yet, opera music into the parking lot. Riffraff can't stand it. As to the robot, one of these days, somebody will take a sledgehammer to it. But gotta congrat the man for trying to clean up his neighborhood.

[Dr_Zinj]

Rufus is pushing the line here on civil liberties. It's one thing to toss people out of his establishment and provide protection within his curtilage, it's an entirely different matter when he pursues his vendetta via assaults in public areas.

The instant he shoots me with his water cannon, his little R2D2 wannabe is trash.

[willdryden]

What his robot is doing would be considered assault in Texas. I know some lawyers that would love that case.

[hassan_bin_sober]

Who needs lawyers? A sudden case of good old fashioned western lead poisoning is more expedient, and don't forget to pick up your brass!

[hassan_bin_sober]

He's got a water gun, I got a big ass .45 automatic. Who do you think is going to win that shootout. Next, you go and deal with the driver the same way!