Homemade robotic vigilante patrols in Atlanta

"He'll be my chief of staff. He'll be parked in front of my office," says Terrill, who finished fifth out of five in Georgia's 2006 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.

The robot's shell is made of steel and plywood, covered in rubber gym mats painted black and nicked by rocks, bricks and other objects people Terrill was rousting have thrown at it. Terrill programmed the Bum Bot's bulky remote himself.

"It's just like a video game," he says.

Some nights, he even transmits the robot's video view to the bar's 60-inch TV so people indoors can watch. By day, it stands at attention near a pool table. Terrill says the Bum Bot is promoting public safety.

"There are children in our neighborhood that use that day care center," he says. "People are coming on private property, they're defecating, they're throwing crack needles, sometimes they're throwing crack rocks."

Some who live on the streets say Terrill's going too far.

"This is going to intimidate a lot of people," says Rosetta Watkins, who used to live in a nearby shelter and has worked for Terrill. "You're going to intimidate a lot more people than you're going to help."

Homeless advocates agree.

"It's a play for public attention for Rufus. He's certainly got a lot of attention — but not the kind we need for housing, living wages," says Anita Beaty, director of Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. "This robot isn't casting attention to the deep, deep poverty in Atlanta."

Bulky as it is, the Bum Bot is surprisingly quiet. Terrill always stands about 10 feet behind it and follows a routine. First he turns on the red eyes, then the spotlight. Then he has the Bum Bot warn that it's videotaping the scene. Sometimes he has to call the police; usually people move on.

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"I cleared out when I saw it," says Matthew Williams, a 23-year-old who lives in a nearby shelter. "People are starting to get used to it. People leave right when they see it."

Atlanta police spokeswoman Lisa Keyes says the department hasn't received any complaints about the Bum Bot, but Terrill will risk charges if he intentionally sprays water on someone with the cannon or damages someone's property.

Terrill says he monitors only private property and never has blasted the cannon toward anyone. He also says he's employed 70 people from the streets and shelters since he opened the bar and helped 18 move into other full-time gigs.

Beaty is unconvinced of his motives.

"I'm appalled by the whole idea. It's a sham and a shame," says Beaty. "Rufus is using this for his 15 minutes."

Christensen at Georgia Tech is particularly concerned that the robot is a temporary — if entertaining — solution when Terrill could be helping find a permanent answer to vagrancy.

"He's moving the problem elsewhere," Christensen says. "And that works for him, but it's really not solving anything."

Terrill, for his part, seems dedicated to resurrecting his neighborhood — his way. Each night, he and the Bum Bot chase the same vagrants from the child care center. And each night, the men typically return within a few hours.

"This isn't fun," he sighs as he packs up around midnight. "I don't like being here every night. I'd be able to better run my business. But I have to spend all my time being the sheriff."

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