For the past few months, small mechanical rovers called FrodoBots have been driving around various parts of Muncie, controlled by gamers on the internet that don’t have to be local.  And as IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, the bots have been seen with curiosity and apprehension, denied entry to public spaces, and even been vandalized.

Frodobot rovers feature cameras on their front and back and allow drivers anywhere in the world to connect to them and drive them on specified tracks in urban locations.

Mathew Joseph is a Frodobots associate.  He explained to the Muncie Board of Works this week the bot basics and said he wants to have open communication between the company and the city.  That’s because he says he’s received complaints about where the bots have been placed.

Frodobots employee Matthew Joseph (right) and coworker speak to the Board of Works Sept. 4, 2024. (Screenshot of City of Muncie Facebook video)

“We tried to go to Morrows Meadows in Yorktown. We spoke to an officer there, and basically he told us that it was his city and he didn’t want them there because he didn’t want to deal with the people.”

According to Joseph, Frodobots have multiple safety precautions built in to prevent them from causing any damage, like shutting off the second the rover ventures outside of the specified track.

Joseph works for Frodobots as a host. He maintains the bots and drops them off at their specified locations at the beginning of the day. He is also responsible for charging them and ensuring that their use abides by local laws.

Cameras on the front and back of the rovers also come with face and license plate blurring features.

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Joseph says the rovers were previously released at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens. He received permission from the owners, but was ultimately asked to take the bots off property after visitors complained about the drivers talking to them through the microphone on the rover. Since then, the microphone capabilities of the rover were disabled. 

Questions from the Board of Works members included whether the company has insurance, in case the bots should injure someone or cause a traffic accident. According to Joseph the bots have complete insurance for any situation. That coverage went into use after a group of kids vandalized one of the rovers and the device had to be sent in for repairs.

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In an online Q&A the founder of Frodobots Michael Cho, stated that a long term goal of the company is to use data sets collected from drivers to help advance AI robotics research.

Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer.  Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu