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Animal-robot interaction

February 23, 2017.

Wild dog animatronic.

Wild dog animatronic. Image © John Downer/BBC.

For BBC’s latest animal program, Spy In The Wild, John Downer and his team were tasked with creating animatronic animals convincing enough to live among their wild counterparts. Over 30 hyper-realistic robots were developed and deployed all over the world. These robots make movements and sounds credible enough for them to be accepted by their new families. Naturally, they are equipped with 4K cameras. The video above shows African Wild Dogs discovering a strange pup purporting to be one of them.

Mashable, “This robot spy dog is like 'Westworld' for animals.”