In Japan they use wolf robots to scare wild animals

When it comes to technology, the Japanese are always up to something. Their latest invention completely reinvented the concept of a device used since ancient times by farmers in the fields to keep birds away: the scarecrow. One of the earliest types of scarecrow of which we have evidence dates back to ancient Rome and resembles the god Priapus. The one created recently by the Japanese looks instead like a wolf; it has fur, haunted eyes and everything. Its name is “Monster Wolf” and when you look at it, it’s really scary.

This modern version of the classic scarecrow is also placed on a pole, it is just over a meter tall and has four legs. The novelty, however, is not so much about its appearance as its internal structure. It is in fact a wolf-robot, a machine capable of emitting up to 60 different sounds, equipped with an infrared sensor that detects movements. When the sensor senses a movement in the vicinity, the wolf starts shaking its head and making terrifying howls.

Someone may wonder why putting so much effort, ingenuity and technology to develop a simple scarecrow. The wolf-robot’s job is much harder than its predecessor. Instead of chasing away birds, the wolf is asked to keep away large mammals such as bears. In fact, in Japan there lives a species of brown bear called Ursus arctos yesoensis, which, as it no longer finds food in its natural habitat, it is getting closer and closer to the cities to look for something to eat. 

Their forays into inhabited places are becoming more and more frequent. In 2019 alone, 157 attacks were recorded and in 2020 there were dozens of attacks, two of which were fatal. One of the areas most affected by this phenomenon is the city of Takikawa, on the island of Hokkaido, located in the northern area of the Japanese archipelago. While the government has decided to call emergency meetings to deal with the situation, there are those who wasted no time and did it on their own, like the city of Takikawa, which has already installed two wolves-robots.

Monster Wolves are produced by Ohta Seiki, a company that manufactures machinery and other parts primarily for the automotive industry. Since 2018, it has already sold 70 wolf-robot specimens in 62 different locations across the country. According to latest reports of Takikawa’s local authorities, it seems that this new invention really works, given that since the ultra-modern wolf-like scarecrows were installed, no other sightings of bears have been recorded.

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