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This summer, if you happen to be driving across Canada, you may bump into a cheerful droid that goes by the name of 'hitchBOT'.

The robot, with its fashionable red boots and yellow garden gloves, plans to be the first machine to hitchhike its way across the country.

Using its charm and good looks, hitchBOT is hoping to convince people to drive him from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Victoria, British Columbia.

To keep drivers engaged in conversation, hitchBOT also runs social media and Wikipedia application programming interfaces so that it can make small talk

The droid has artificial intelligence (AI) systems that allow it to recognise speech and converse with people it finds on its journey.

To keep them engaged in conversation, hitchBOT also runs social media and Wikipedia applications that help it make small talk.

Equipped with GPS, 3G wireless connectivity, a camera, and a built-in child booster seat, the droid will be able to monitor its progress across Canada

One of hitchBOT's arms is permanently fixed in a hitchhike position, and the droid could also become a social media star as it will tweet its thoughts to the general public during his journey

One of its arms is permanently fixed in a hitchhike position, and the droid could also become a social media star as it will tweet its thoughts to the general public during his journey.

Equipped with GPS, 3G wireless connectivity, a camera, and a built-in child booster seat, the droid will also be able to monitor its progress across Canada. 

HitchBOT is the brainchild of Dr David Harris Smith of McMaster University and Dr Frauke Zeller of Ryerson University both in Ontario.

'Usually, we are concerned whether we can trust robots…but this project takes it the other way around and asks: can robots trust human beings?' said Dr Zeller.

Using its charm and good looks, hitchBOT is hoping to convince people to drive him from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Victoria, British Columbia

On July 27, hitchBOT - who stands about the height of an average six-year-old - will be let loose on the TransCanada highway. As well as thumbing down a ride, the bot will also ask that people plug it into the cigarette lighters in their cars to charge its battery

'We expect hitchBOT to be charming and trustworthy enough in its conversation to secure rides through Canada.'

Dr David Harris Smith envisions that hitchBOT will look 'like somebody has cobbled together odds and ends to make the robot, such as pool noodles, bucket, cake saver, garden gloves, wellies, and so forth.'

On July 27, hitchBOT - who stands about the height of an average 6-year-old - will be let loose on the TransCanada highway.

As well as thumbing down a ride, the bot will also ask that people plug it into the cigarette lighters in their cars to charge its battery.

'I'll need to consider what to pack and where to go to recharge after a long day,' the robot writes on his website.

'Of course, I'll also need to consider how to interact with locals — after all, it's not every day that people get to interact with a handsome robot like myself.'

SCIENTISTS CREATE THE WORLD'S FIRST ROBOT THAT READS EMOTIONS 

In a country dominated by 'kawaii' - or cute culture - Japan has embraced the rise of cuddly robots.

Now, one Tokyo-based firm has unveiled what it believes to be the world's first droid that can read human emotions.

Mobile carrier Softbank said its robot, named Pepper, will go on sale in Japan in February for 198,000 yen (£1,130 or $1,900).

The machine, which has no legs, but has gesticulating hands appeared on a stage in a Tokyo suburb, cooing and humming. 

Pepper uses an 'emotional engine' and a cloud-based artificial intelligence to study gestures, expressions and human speech tones.

The 48-inch (121 cm) tall, 62 lb (28 kg) white Pepper has no hair, but two large doll-like eyes and a flat-panel display stuck on its chest.

It was developed jointly with Aldebaran Robotics, which designs, produces and sells autonomous humanoid robots.