A realistic robot called the "Super Monster Wolf" is on sale in Japan for farmers who want to scare crop-damaging pests away from their farms.
The robotic wolf, which features red eyes and realistic fur, will now go in mass production following successful trials.
According to Chiba Nippo news website, the Super Monster Wolf helps stop damage caused by harmful animals, such as wild boar.
The robot has a length of 65cm and a height of 50cm, and uses an infrared sensor to detect wild animals. When one is detected, it emits a red LED light from the eyes and a threatening sound.
The infrared sensor has an effective radius of about one kilometer (0.62 miles).
According to Kisarazu City Agricultural Cooperative, a field trial conducted for two months in a paddy field in Yana, where nearby farms suffer from damage caused by wild boars, experienced a drop in crop losses where the Super Monster Wolf was present.
The robot has been in experiment at nine locations across Japan, and the cooperative explained that all trials were effective.
The robot costs around £3,480 (514,000 yen), but farmers have the option to lease the equipment on a monthly basis instead.
A report looking at the role of robotics forecasts that agricultural robots will become a $12bn industry by 2027.
