As they say, in order to understand someone, you must step into his or her shoes. In this case, to understand penguins, you need to step into the penguins’ snow, rocks, and furry little bodies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t0xsZH7C2Iw
This documentary, called “Penguins: Spy in the Huddle” features nearly a year’s worth of film with 50 different spycams. Some were inanimate objects, like rocks or chunks of snow, but the most adorable ones were the robot penguins.
There were three different kinds of robot penguins modeled after their real-life counterparts: RockhopperCam, EmperorCam, and HumboldtCam. The behaviors of these robots, while not flawlessly lifelike, are still legitimate enough, In fact, the RockhopperCam was apparently so realistic that some penguins even accepted it as part of their colony. With gyro and acceleration sensors, the robot can detect when it has fallen over and make its way over challenging terrain, making it a simple enough robot to have effective functions as a moving spycam.
There was also an adorable ChickCam, pictured above, which served two purposes. Firstly, it was an effective spycam, and secondly, the furry robot protected the camera from the cold.
In addition to these, there were also remotely-controlled underwater penguin robots that were capable of diving down 300 feet, to accurately film penguins swimming through the water.
All of these robots allowed people to see penguins in a detail never seen before. From the daily behavior of different penguins to close-ups of egg-hatching, breeding, and swimming, these robots have taken nature observation to a new level. If you’re interested in reading more, check here!
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