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Science

Monster Wolf robot with glowing eyes protects Japanese town from bears

Monster Wolf is proof not all robots are evil, right?

Bonnie Burton headshot
Bonnie Burton
monsterwolf1
Monster Wolf robot was created to scare off bears and other wildlife from towns in Japan.
Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

Bears beware. Residents of Takikawa in Japan have turned to a robot wolf to scare off bears who get the urge to roam through their town, located in the central area of Hokkaido. Apparently, bears invading the place is a regular occurrence, as the creatures scavenge for food in residential trash cans.

Usually, the town hires hunters to trap bears and remove them from city limits, but this time residents got more creative with a solution to frighten bears away.

The mechanical robot nicknamed Monster Wolf was created using machine parts from manufacturing company Ohta Seiki located in Hokkaido. Monster Wolf is equipped with infrared sensors that can detect when a bear or other wildlife is in the vicinity, according to SoraNews24.

When a bear or other animal triggers Monster Wolf's sensors, the robot's head moves, and its LED red eyes light up. Speakers inside the robot emit a variety of loud sounds -- including wolf howls, gunshots and human voices -- to startle and drive off the wildlife.

The idea of having a robot drive off encroaching wildlife like bears is apparently very popular in Japan, as 62 communities have their own versions of a Monster Wolf robot in operation, SoraNews24 says. 

Here are some entertaining videos of Monster Wolf in action.