| Rocky, the robot squirrel is studying animal behaviour |
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| New Technology | |
| Written by Team Josh | |
| Monday, 05 May 2008 | |
 'Rocky’, may look like a normal squirrel but it does not have feelings and she obeys the commands given to it. It is controlled by researchers several yards away with a laptop computer and binoculars.Rocky is being used to monitor the behaviour of Squirrels. Sarah Partan, an assistant professor in animal behaviour at Hampshire, hopes that by capturing a close-up view of squirrels in nature, Rocky will help her team decode squirrels’ communication techniques, social cues and survival instincts. Rocky is among many robotic critters worldwide helping researchers observe animals in their natural environments rather than in labs. The research could let scientists better understand how animals work in groups, court, intimidate rivals and warn allies of danger. Studies may even help explain similar behaviours in humans, researchers say. “Animals and humans are all affected by body postures, behaviours, and signals from each other that we may not be aware of,” Partan said. Infiltrating the animal kingdom The use of fake critters to infiltrate real groups of animals is so new that few companies build or sell such tools to researchers. Partan, who created Rocky a few years ago when she taught at the University of South Florida, is constantly refining its actions and technology. Rocky’s movement is controlled by basic computer programs, and it has tiny speakers inside that play recordings.
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