NAIE, Hokkaido (Japan): A metalworking company in Naie, Hokkaido, has developed a portable stuffed wolf that helps drive away bears and other wild animals with lights and sound.
The firm hopes it will be used instead of bear repellent bells when fishing or walking in the mountains.
Ohta Seiki Co. plans to sell Monster Wolf Mini on a trial basis around October.
In 2018, the company launched the wolf-like robot Monster Wolf.
Installed in fields and other places, the robot detects wild animals when they approach and intimidates them by flashing the lights of its eyes and blaring sounds, including a human voice. Its price tag is about ¥600,000, including installation fees.
Ohta Seiki has sold about 290 Monster Wolf units and loaned out about 40 of them to municipalities and farmers both within and outside Hokkaido.
The company began the development of Monster Wolf Mini in December 2024, responding to requests from customers for a portable version of the robot.
The company hastily developed it in the face of an increasing number of cases of brown bears injuring humans in Hokkaido during and after summer last year. The prototype was completed in October.
The Monster Wolf Mini is about 20 centimeters long. With a speaker installed, it blares sounds when it detects animals. It also flashes the lights in its eyes.
The volume is adjustable and can be increased up to 80 decibels — equivalent to the volume of cicadas buzzing.
The company said it wants to complete the Monster Wolf Mini in the style of a keychain for portability and sell it at an affordable price at home improvement stores and other places.
The development of the “monster eagle,” a robot in the shape of a Steller’s sea eagle to drive away birds and other wildlife, is also underway at Ohta Seiki.
“There are ways to reduce damage inflicted by wildlife other than killing them. We want to continue developing products that enable coexistence between animals and people,” Ohta Seiki President Yuji Ota said. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
