Researchers released robot trash cans in NYC to see how people would react

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

We've all been there - walking around outside, needing to throw something away, but you can't find a trash can. Well, in New York recently, the trash cans could find you. They could even roll towards you.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROBOTIC BEEPING)

RASCOE: Kind of like a certain droid from a galaxy far, far away.

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(SOUNDBITE OF ROBOTIC BEEPING)

RASCOE: It was a project of researchers from Cornell University. They powered two plastic trash cans using recycled hoverboards and attached 360 cameras on them. Then they released them in Astor Place in Manhattan. It was a Wizard of Oz deployment method, which lets people interact with something thinking it's a computer, but it's actually controlled by an unseen human. The researchers' videos show the bins darting around between people sitting at tables or just walking by. People coaxed the bins toward them to throw their trash away, others helped them when the bins got stuck. And some kicked the bins away - it was just too creepy for them. Still, some thought those robotic trash cans were a kind of cute way to keep at least one part of New York City squeaky clean.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROBOTIC BEEPING) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.