Robotic squirrel used to study real-life squirrel behavior, steal nuts

Most of the squirrels on our college campus were massive, hyper-intelligent little beasts that were best dealt with by vigilant avoidance, but it looks like Hampshire College professor Sarah Partan is taking the opposite approach, using a robotic squirrel named "Rocky" to interact with the local rodents up close. Rocky is controlled wirelessly from a laptop, and can realistically move his tail and body to communicate with other squirrels, as well as play pre-recorded squirrel noises from built-in speakers. The goal is to study how animals communicate, and it looks like Rocky's doing a good job -- the local squirrels seem to respond to him just like any other. That's pretty impressive for a bot (or pretty weak for the squirrels, depending on your point of view), but we're just waiting for Partan and her team to discover the shocking truth: that the squirrels are really studying them.

[bartoron @ May 3rd 2008 9:06AM]

AWESOME!!! :D

[Chris Anderson @ May 3rd 2008 9:11AM]

and nobody's mentioned the bloody Squirrel Uprising yet?

[superpotential @ May 3rd 2008 9:19AM]

are you confusing mice with squirrels? i never found it necessary to vigilantly avoid squirrels ...

[Richard Lai @ May 3rd 2008 9:14AM]

Disney's new expensive toy too perhaps?

[Ras Thavas @ May 3rd 2008 9:22AM]

Now all the need is a robotic moose!

[Carl @ May 3rd 2008 9:23AM]

No-one's spotted the missing word yet? C'mon Engadget, who proof reads this stuff?

[Ryan Trevisol @ May 3rd 2008 9:52AM]

Well it was pretty easy being that it would have been the 5th word in: on.

[eoin @ May 5th 2008 5:53PM]

more like, "steel" nuts HAhahahahaha

[warrrennnnn @ May 4th 2008 12:35AM]

hahahahaha, that's exactly what i was going to say. so i think i deserve to be highly ranked.

helps the self-esteem, you know? wouldn't want any.... accidents.


;]

[Joe @ May 3rd 2008 10:26AM]

It's so wet and rainy here in New York, I saw a squirrel dry his nuts.

*rimshot*

[C&C @ May 3rd 2008 10:29AM]

"I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut to move your butt"

[Sauerkraut @ May 3rd 2008 10:41AM]

nooooo the squirrels are bowing down to their robot overlords already,

first the rodents, then the birds, THEN THE PRIMATES

[kicks @ May 3rd 2008 10:45AM]

oh dang.... there goes our chances of reviving the red squirrels again...

[Ken Laninga @ May 3rd 2008 11:26AM]

Hey, you gotta waste taxpayers' money SOMEhow.

[rtdunham @ May 3rd 2008 11:34AM]

yeah, when WILL this constant quest for knowledge end?

[Mike @ May 3rd 2008 11:32AM]

I for one welcome our new robotic squirrel overlords.

[Paul @ May 3rd 2008 11:44AM]

haha that's hilarious

[Nazul @ May 3rd 2008 11:46AM]

They , too, will evolve.

[Windzilla @ May 3rd 2008 12:14PM]

Hampshire college, figures. that place is full of chock full o Nutjobs and hippies.

[Shane Selewach @ May 3rd 2008 12:56PM]

Actually...the squirrels already have robots infiltrating us. They are way ahead of us. Shane Selewach

[Dhomas @ May 3rd 2008 1:20PM]

Is a robotic moose named Bullwinkle also in the works?

[doudOSX @ May 3rd 2008 1:43PM]

wow thats ...wow.....OK ALL YOU GUYS OUT THERE GO AND PUT YOUR CUPS ON AND WHATH OUT FOR THE SQRILL HE'S BEN SAID TO RIP EM RIGHT OFF!!!

[Matt @ May 3rd 2008 3:39PM]

Did you have a seizure while typing that?

[warrrennnnn @ May 4th 2008 12:36AM]

WATH OUT FOR THE SQRILL!

[John @ May 3rd 2008 8:27PM]

"Rocky"...that's original.

[Konceptz @ May 4th 2008 12:36AM]

I use my real cat to communicate with squirrels all the time.

"the local squirrels seem to respond to him just like any other."

[Low Ranked @ May 4th 2008 9:53AM]

User. Account

[Joe Anstine @ May 4th 2008 10:42PM]

why can't my school do this? this is freaking awesome and a dream job. lucky bastards...

[Joe @ May 5th 2008 3:58AM]

Wot no video?