Penguin on wheels rolled over her – BBC

Mechanical penguins have been very welcome in the colonies living counterparts. They begin to talk, touch and take over the children.

How to implement a penguin colony, explore the birds and not disturb them? Scientists from the University of Strasbourg experimentally found that the best way – to roll to the penguins on the radio-controlled robot, which itself resembles a penguin, and even better – penguin.

Experience has proved so successful that the mechanical toy was able to ingratiate himself even to the adult birds who themselves began to show interest in the device.

Scientists traditionally explores the life of penguins in Antarctica in the harsh conditions, the impact of climate change on them, attaching radio transmitters to them. However, this technique has many limitations. For example, the capture and attachment to the birds RFID drives them stress, and on his return to the colony, they often put up a fight in an attempt to return to their territory. Furthermore, the use of transmitters required to increase penguin was not less than 0.6 m – only the antennas can transmit data. A colony itself should be far away from the receiving antenna, or the next must go to the receiver person who can disturb the birds by their presence.

In 2010, Yvon Le Mao biologist from the University of Strasbourg implanted 34 king penguins, which previously had no experience with the man, measure the pulse transmitters. Scientists observe their behavior and palpitations when approaching them man and wheeled robot (not yet disguised as a penguin).

When approaching the robot penguins behaved as if they were approached unfamiliar penguins: they showed protective behavior, and their heart rate increases. Approaching the same person made them much more restless – heart rate increased much stronger. When the same experiment was conducted with the Emperor penguins, only 28% of them were anxious to behave, and a quarter of the birds showed curiosity about the rover. Here, researchers from the group of Le Mao and thought it would be, if you make a rover like a penguin.

They contrived two robots – one similar to the adult emperor penguin, and “chick”. The experiment was so successful that almost all the penguins showed an interest in mechanical aliens and started with them “talk».

Robots successfully approached the penguins, read information from their transmitters, and Penguins allowed them to approach themselves and be curious.

«Now we know that it is better than using a rover or a person “- scientists say.

The developed technique greatly enhances biologists studying penguins, although it has its limitations. “Scientists have for decades sought to reduce the impact on the systems that they study. But even with such rovers researchers still have to catch penguins to approach them or to implant them transmitters, take blood or attach other devices “- says Professor Dee Bersma, director of the University of Washington study of penguins.

Scientists have also conducted experiments with rovers in a colony of sea lions. And these mammals allows the robot to approach them, though at the sight of a man they behave aggressively. Working Group under the leadership of Ivan Le Mao published in Nature Methods .