Ohta Seiki’s Monster Wolf guards the bears
At a time when Japan is facing a record number of bear attacks, a robot wolf created to scare away the animals has become an unexpected success. In three months, orders for “Monster Wolf” have tripled — and the army of robot monsters is proving its effectiveness.
The huge bear population of northeastern Japan are you hungryand in recent months it has begun to invade residential areas. The attacks, which sowed panic and have already claimed at least 13 lives, have even led the authorities to fight the animals.
The problem is so serious that the Japanese began to resort to “creative solutions“, some of which have a touch of humor, to keep bears away from their yards and roads.
Recently, a company proposed that store facades should have sliding glass doors that cannot be accidentally opened by a human or a bear; instead, you need to use an app on a smartphone — technology that bears have not yet masteredtells .
Now, a company has presented totally new tacticwhich is a little scary for humans — but hopefully even more so for bears: launching a army of robot wolves that look like cheap haunted house decorations, but apparently fulfill their function.
The Monster Wolf, a robotic “monster wolf” covered in fake skin and developed almost 10 years ago by Ohta Seikia company based in Hokkaido, is very unrealistic, and was even initially mocked for his “ridiculous” appearance. However, according to , it is proving its effectiveness.
So, how does the bizarre Monster Wolf work?
When the robot wolf’s infrared sensors detect the approach of an animal, eyes light up red. The head rotates, blue LED lights start to flash and the device emits sounds as loud as a horn of a car to scare away the intruder. There are about 50 different soundsplayed randomly, ranging from animal howls to human voices.
“Bears are very cautious animals and tend to walk alone”, explains the president of Ohta Seiki, Yuji Ota. “When there is a loud noise, they assume that there is something there, and they avoid getting close”.
Despite initial skepticism, the device demonstrated its effectiveness and ease of maintenance. Currently, there are around 330 units installed on farms, on trails used by animals and in other places in Japan where bears are seen.
According to the company, the recent increase in bear attacks has tripled requests for information about the product. There were also around ten contacts from abroad — including one from India questioning whether Monster Wolf could be effective against elephants.
Yes, we still haven’t talked about the elephant problem in India at ZAP…
