Menacing, red-eyed robot wolves are being used to deter bears from encroaching upon towns in rural Japan, reports Andrew Paul for Popsci.
Stories about solar-powered robotic wolves first surfaced back in 2017 after Japanese researchers began testing prototypes to combat wild boars' devastating encroachment into farmlands. Since then, a company called Wolf Kamuy expanded sales of its sentry products featuring menacing fangs, fur, flashing red LED "eyes," and a head capable of shaking side-to-side while emitting a 90 decibel howl. But boars aren't the only problem plaguing rural Japanese communities. According to recent reports, Wolf Kamuy is now offering many of its faux-wolves as bear deterrence.
The manufacturer's website is a thing of HTML beauty, sure to scare off any modern stylesheets that wander too close.
Wild animals notice with loud voice and LED interval Lighting
Be wary of the appearance of natural enemy wolf
Don't get used to wild animals with more than 50 kinds of voice
The wolf looks alive as the neck moves
