TINY BUNDLE OF FLUFF: A handout pic of a remote-controlled roving camera camouflaged as a penguin chick in Adelie Land, Antarctica. The device is so convincing that the notoriously shy Emperor penguins don't scamper away and sometimes even sing to it with trumpet-like sounds. When researchers approach, they normally back away and their heart rate goes up, which is not what the scientists need when they want to check heart rate, health and other penguin parameters.
PARIS: Brazenly, the down-covered baby penguin lookalike rolls in on four wheels for a huddle with real-life chicks, right under the noses of adult birds which seem to pay it no heed.
The infiltration is for a good cause: the cute and fluffy robot is a remote-controlled spy designed by scientists wishing to monitor the skittish penguins without causing them stress.
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