kangaroo

Automotive

VW's RooBadge blasts custom sound beams to scare off local wildlife

Volkswagen has announced the development of RooBadge, which emits species-specific sounds to drive away kangaroos and reduce the risk of animal collisions on Australian roads. There are plans to adapt the device to deter other wildlife worldwide.

"Monday Blahs", John Blumenkamp (US). "This Great Gray Owl spent most of the afternoon posing majestically and looking, well, wise," says the photographer. "But for a moment or two after doing some elegant stretching, he/she would slump and give a look of, 'Is Monday over yet?'"

Photography

The 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photo winners – naturally, they're a hoot

A kangaroo riffing on his air guitar, a sentient snowball, a face-planting seabird, a comically depressed owl and a twinkle-toed otter are among the funny, candid images that shone brightest in this much-loved, feel-good wildlife photography contest.

Festo's BionicKangaroo is able to store energy from the landing phase of a jump and reuse it efficiently for more jumps (Image: Festo)

Robotics

Festo's BionicKangaroo gets the hop on energy-efficiency

Just like its animal cousin, Festo's BionicKangaroo is able to store energy from the landing phase of a jump and reuse it efficiently for more jumps. The technology may hold the key to more energy-efficient machines based on both pneumatic and electric drive technologies.