European Erinaceus europaeus might be a popular garden visitor , but stimulate to share blank space with humans can sometimes put themat risk , include from the fresh technical school that keeps our lawn look tidy . New inquiry has highlight how some machinelike lawnmowers could cause harm to porcupine , but gratefully , it ’s also fall up with a originative safety gadget test solvent .
That solution came in the form of a hedgehog “ crash test dumbbell ” . develop by a team lead by Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen from the University of Oxford , the dummy is made from a soft rubberlike plastic that ’s design to mime the squishy body of a real hedgehog – and of course , its iconic spines .
To make a base hit run using this dummy , it was first important to define howhedgehogsreacted when face with a robotic lawnmower . Working in an enclosed environment with rescued porcupine that were now quick for release , the research team tested the responses of porcupine to a bladeless robotic lawnmower that was stopped 50 centimeter ( 20 inches ) aside .
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The test setup for the encounter tests between live hedgehogs and a disarmed robotic lawnmower, which was stopped before reaching the hedgehogs.Image credit: Sophie Lund Rasmussen
They found that the creatures either ran forth , stood in front of the lawnmower slimly curl up , or started sniffing it . From this , the researchers could identify the best positions to put the hedgehog clangor test dummy in to refuge mental testing a robotic lawn mower , with the psychometric test itself then revealing if the machine could obviate a hedgehog and if not , the stage of damage it would cause to the animal .
" contract injuries from robotic lawnmowers are placing an tremendous onus on many hedgehog care sum and using up important resources , as these accidental injury often need above - intermediate aid and treatment , ” say study co - source Dr Anne Berger in astatement . “ Moreover , the bulk of hedgehogs with thinned injuries are find days or weeks after the fortuity happened and therefore have to persist considerable suffering , pain and damage until they are get . ”
It ’s hop that the new guard trial run will lead to the development of more hedgehog - friendly automatonlike lawnmowers , something that Dr Rasmussen secernate IFLScience is already in the works .
” Our enquiry has describe a likely threat to the Erinaceus europeaeus , as some modeling of automatonlike lawn mower – but not all – can be harmful to hedgehog . Therefore , we have formed collaborations with industry partners to find answer to this challenge by designing hedgehog - friendly robotic lawn mowers ground on the noesis bring in through the enquiry , ” the research worker explain .
With hedgehog numbers having beenin declinefor a while , this research hopefully arrive as the start of some good news for these unfluctuating dearie of the European garden .
The two studies describing the findings are published in the journal brute , hereandhere .
