Two technology geeks at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas–Make Magazine editor Phillip Torrone and EYEBEAM research-and-development fellow Limor Fried–decided they would modify a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner to perform in traffic, much in the way the frog in the video game Frogger was intended to negotiate heavy traffic as it tried to cross the street. The Roomba is shown here before it was readied for its real-life Frogger tribulations very early in the morning on Wednesday.
Phillip Torrone and Limor Fried working on their Roomba version of Frogger.
Torrone and Fried’s Roomba Frogger, with Styrofoam feet.
No amphibians were fooled. Torrone and Fried’s Roomba Frogger with green fabric, shortly before the machine was put in the street.
Awaiting final prep, the Roomba Frogger sits on Austin’s famous Sixth Street.
Final prep: Phillip Torrone works on the Bluetooth settings used to help control the Roomba Frogger.
Limor Fried inspects the Frogger one more time.
The Roomba Frogger in the middle of Austin’s Sixth Street as seen from above.
Torrone and Fried’s Roomba Frogger just misses getting hit by a mini-van.
After the Roomba Frogger nearly got crushed, Torrone and Fried made sure it was still roadworthy.
The Roomba Frogger survives another close call with a car.
Not easy being green: Torrone carries the Roomba after it was run over by an SUV.
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.
