Florida deploys furry robot rabbits to fight invasive Burmese python overpopulation
The solar-powered rabbits were let loose into the Everglades shortly after the annual Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day competition that draws hundreds of eager snake wranglers to hunt the invasive reptiles.
The robot bunnies, while cartoonish in appearance, are equipped with an artificial intelligence-powered camera that alerts officials with the South Florida Water Management District when they spot a python. From there, someone will be dispatched to remove the snake, according to a news release.
The robots were designed to mimic real rabbits' movements and include mechanics to imitate a live one's heat signature and scent, which pythons hone in on when hunting real-life bunnies.
The invasive pythons can measure as long as 18 feet in length and are capable of swallowing an entire deer whole. It's unclear how the robot rabbits may stack up against the pythons, or how many the district may lose to the reptiles' appetites.
The Burmese python, a non native species to the United States, was first recorded in the Sunshine State in the 1990s. Since then, its population has skyrocketed exponentially, though officials aren't sure what the precise count is.
More than 19,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades since 2000, according to Fox Weather Service.
Others have been either killed or removed during promoted events like the Florida Python Challenge.
Last year's winner wiped out a staggering 20 pythons and clinched the $10,000 grand prize.
The species is exempted from the state's animal protection legislation — except for the anti-cruelty law — and can be humanely killed year-round with or without a hunting permit or license, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Still, the python's domination is clear when looking at the damage other species in the Everglades have suffered.
The populations of raccoons and possums, two easy prey for the gargantuan reptiles, have almost been entirely eradicated from the area, with just 1% or 2% left intact, according to a 2012 study by the United States Geological Survey.
Originally published as Florida deploys furry robot rabbits to fight invasive Burmese python overpopulation
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
7 days ago
- Sky News AU
Florida deploys furry robot rabbits to fight invasive Burmese python overpopulation
A water management district in Florida's Everglades is using robot rabbits to help monitor and eventually eliminate its ever-growing population of invasive Burmese pythons that have wreaked havoc on native animals. The solar-powered rabbits were let loose into the Everglades shortly after the annual Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day competition that draws hundreds of eager snake wranglers to hunt the invasive reptiles. The robot bunnies, while cartoonish in appearance, are equipped with an artificial intelligence-powered camera that alerts officials with the South Florida Water Management District when they spot a python. From there, someone will be dispatched to remove the snake, according to a news release. The robots were designed to mimic real rabbits' movements and include mechanics to imitate a live one's heat signature and scent, which pythons hone in on when hunting real-life bunnies. The invasive pythons can measure as long as 18 feet in length and are capable of swallowing an entire deer whole. It's unclear how the robot rabbits may stack up against the pythons, or how many the district may lose to the reptiles' appetites. The Burmese python, a non native species to the United States, was first recorded in the Sunshine State in the 1990s. Since then, its population has skyrocketed exponentially, though officials aren't sure what the precise count is. More than 19,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades since 2000, according to Fox Weather Service. Others have been either killed or removed during promoted events like the Florida Python Challenge. Last year's winner wiped out a staggering 20 pythons and clinched the $10,000 grand prize. The species is exempted from the state's animal protection legislation — except for the anti-cruelty law — and can be humanely killed year-round with or without a hunting permit or license, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Still, the python's domination is clear when looking at the damage other species in the Everglades have suffered. The populations of raccoons and possums, two easy prey for the gargantuan reptiles, have almost been entirely eradicated from the area, with just 1% or 2% left intact, according to a 2012 study by the United States Geological Survey. Originally published as Florida deploys furry robot rabbits to fight invasive Burmese python overpopulation
The Advertiser
27-06-2025
- The Advertiser
M3GAN 2.0 is less fun, a sequel that's preachy instead of campy
M3GAN 2.0 M, 120 minutes 2 stars At first, I thought I had wandered into the wrong cinema. This movie begins like a political thriller involving the US in the Middle East (no doubt a coincidence but all too timely). I was discombobulated for a moment, but then there was an outburst of violence and mayhem from a killer android in a female body and my equilibrium was restored. M3GAN (2022) was a fun if unremarkable sci-fi/horror movie in which the title robot - a companion and protector for a young girl - went way beyond her programming and turned into a killer. She was finally stopped, but the low-budget movie was a big box office hit so a sequel was assured and, to their credit, the filmmakers don't simply do a rehash. But the new film is far from a total success. Excessive length - it's almost 20 minutes longer than the first movie - is just one of the problems. Unlike the first film, which knew it was somewhat silly - M3GAN was reminiscent of Chucky from the Child's Play movies - this has a fair bit of lecturing, and it ain't subtle. At the start of M3GAN 2.0 - set two years after its predecessor - it's not M3GAN herself who's on the rampage. It's AMELIA (an acronym for Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) who looks like an adult woman (played by Ivanna Sakhno). She is the product of a secret, dodgy program using the same technology as M3GAN but - this will sound familiar - has become self-aware and decided to do what she wants, when she wants. And her ambitions make M3GAN look like an underachiever. Meanwhile, M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an author and fierce advocate for regulating artificial intelligence. Gemma's relationship with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is still strained - quite apart from the traumatising events from before, the kid is an orphan who feels a bit neglected (and, of course, she's a moody teenager regardless). M3GAN is kept safely in a harmless little robot body, but when AMELIA's increasing control over computer systems and other technology gets out, it becomes clear Gemma will need to rebuild and upgrade M3GAN in order to take on the new threat. M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis) requests a taller body, a clever way to incorporate teen actress Amie Donald's growth spurt since the first film. But given what happened last time, can M3GAn be trusted? Director Gerard Johnstone - who scripted from a story he concocted with the first film's writer, Akela Cooper - keeps the pacing in the early part of the film crisp, but things slacken markedly as the film goes on, with lots of characters and story turns to follow. One new character is a billionaire jerk named Christian (Aristotle Athari) who might, possibly, be modelled on Elon Musk. Just a little bit. There's lots of tech talk and also copious discussion on the ethics of AI. It seems like we're intended to take the philosophical aspects seriously, but this really isn't the platform. Not that the ideas aren't worthwhile - especially when, in the real world, AI keeps getting pushed forward - but the handling didn't need to be so blatant. And this material sits uneasily beside the expected campier elements, such as M3GAN's foul-mouthed snark and the Knight Rider theme coming in out of nowhere (Tellytubbies, Knight Rider - are these references still current for younger viewers?) The second Terminator movie seems to be a big inspiration and, in a running joke, Steven Seagal and his movies keep coming up. In this instalment, M3GAN and AMELIA engage in martial arts fights. Well, it's different. It's just not great. Still, it's not a bad showcase for some New Zealand talent (it was filmed there) and some effects work was done in Australia. So not all technology is bad. M3GAN 2.0 M, 120 minutes 2 stars At first, I thought I had wandered into the wrong cinema. This movie begins like a political thriller involving the US in the Middle East (no doubt a coincidence but all too timely). I was discombobulated for a moment, but then there was an outburst of violence and mayhem from a killer android in a female body and my equilibrium was restored. M3GAN (2022) was a fun if unremarkable sci-fi/horror movie in which the title robot - a companion and protector for a young girl - went way beyond her programming and turned into a killer. She was finally stopped, but the low-budget movie was a big box office hit so a sequel was assured and, to their credit, the filmmakers don't simply do a rehash. But the new film is far from a total success. Excessive length - it's almost 20 minutes longer than the first movie - is just one of the problems. Unlike the first film, which knew it was somewhat silly - M3GAN was reminiscent of Chucky from the Child's Play movies - this has a fair bit of lecturing, and it ain't subtle. At the start of M3GAN 2.0 - set two years after its predecessor - it's not M3GAN herself who's on the rampage. It's AMELIA (an acronym for Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) who looks like an adult woman (played by Ivanna Sakhno). She is the product of a secret, dodgy program using the same technology as M3GAN but - this will sound familiar - has become self-aware and decided to do what she wants, when she wants. And her ambitions make M3GAN look like an underachiever. Meanwhile, M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an author and fierce advocate for regulating artificial intelligence. Gemma's relationship with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is still strained - quite apart from the traumatising events from before, the kid is an orphan who feels a bit neglected (and, of course, she's a moody teenager regardless). M3GAN is kept safely in a harmless little robot body, but when AMELIA's increasing control over computer systems and other technology gets out, it becomes clear Gemma will need to rebuild and upgrade M3GAN in order to take on the new threat. M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis) requests a taller body, a clever way to incorporate teen actress Amie Donald's growth spurt since the first film. But given what happened last time, can M3GAn be trusted? Director Gerard Johnstone - who scripted from a story he concocted with the first film's writer, Akela Cooper - keeps the pacing in the early part of the film crisp, but things slacken markedly as the film goes on, with lots of characters and story turns to follow. One new character is a billionaire jerk named Christian (Aristotle Athari) who might, possibly, be modelled on Elon Musk. Just a little bit. There's lots of tech talk and also copious discussion on the ethics of AI. It seems like we're intended to take the philosophical aspects seriously, but this really isn't the platform. Not that the ideas aren't worthwhile - especially when, in the real world, AI keeps getting pushed forward - but the handling didn't need to be so blatant. And this material sits uneasily beside the expected campier elements, such as M3GAN's foul-mouthed snark and the Knight Rider theme coming in out of nowhere (Tellytubbies, Knight Rider - are these references still current for younger viewers?) The second Terminator movie seems to be a big inspiration and, in a running joke, Steven Seagal and his movies keep coming up. In this instalment, M3GAN and AMELIA engage in martial arts fights. Well, it's different. It's just not great. Still, it's not a bad showcase for some New Zealand talent (it was filmed there) and some effects work was done in Australia. So not all technology is bad. M3GAN 2.0 M, 120 minutes 2 stars At first, I thought I had wandered into the wrong cinema. This movie begins like a political thriller involving the US in the Middle East (no doubt a coincidence but all too timely). I was discombobulated for a moment, but then there was an outburst of violence and mayhem from a killer android in a female body and my equilibrium was restored. M3GAN (2022) was a fun if unremarkable sci-fi/horror movie in which the title robot - a companion and protector for a young girl - went way beyond her programming and turned into a killer. She was finally stopped, but the low-budget movie was a big box office hit so a sequel was assured and, to their credit, the filmmakers don't simply do a rehash. But the new film is far from a total success. Excessive length - it's almost 20 minutes longer than the first movie - is just one of the problems. Unlike the first film, which knew it was somewhat silly - M3GAN was reminiscent of Chucky from the Child's Play movies - this has a fair bit of lecturing, and it ain't subtle. At the start of M3GAN 2.0 - set two years after its predecessor - it's not M3GAN herself who's on the rampage. It's AMELIA (an acronym for Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) who looks like an adult woman (played by Ivanna Sakhno). She is the product of a secret, dodgy program using the same technology as M3GAN but - this will sound familiar - has become self-aware and decided to do what she wants, when she wants. And her ambitions make M3GAN look like an underachiever. Meanwhile, M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an author and fierce advocate for regulating artificial intelligence. Gemma's relationship with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is still strained - quite apart from the traumatising events from before, the kid is an orphan who feels a bit neglected (and, of course, she's a moody teenager regardless). M3GAN is kept safely in a harmless little robot body, but when AMELIA's increasing control over computer systems and other technology gets out, it becomes clear Gemma will need to rebuild and upgrade M3GAN in order to take on the new threat. M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis) requests a taller body, a clever way to incorporate teen actress Amie Donald's growth spurt since the first film. But given what happened last time, can M3GAn be trusted? Director Gerard Johnstone - who scripted from a story he concocted with the first film's writer, Akela Cooper - keeps the pacing in the early part of the film crisp, but things slacken markedly as the film goes on, with lots of characters and story turns to follow. One new character is a billionaire jerk named Christian (Aristotle Athari) who might, possibly, be modelled on Elon Musk. Just a little bit. There's lots of tech talk and also copious discussion on the ethics of AI. It seems like we're intended to take the philosophical aspects seriously, but this really isn't the platform. Not that the ideas aren't worthwhile - especially when, in the real world, AI keeps getting pushed forward - but the handling didn't need to be so blatant. And this material sits uneasily beside the expected campier elements, such as M3GAN's foul-mouthed snark and the Knight Rider theme coming in out of nowhere (Tellytubbies, Knight Rider - are these references still current for younger viewers?) The second Terminator movie seems to be a big inspiration and, in a running joke, Steven Seagal and his movies keep coming up. In this instalment, M3GAN and AMELIA engage in martial arts fights. Well, it's different. It's just not great. Still, it's not a bad showcase for some New Zealand talent (it was filmed there) and some effects work was done in Australia. So not all technology is bad. M3GAN 2.0 M, 120 minutes 2 stars At first, I thought I had wandered into the wrong cinema. This movie begins like a political thriller involving the US in the Middle East (no doubt a coincidence but all too timely). I was discombobulated for a moment, but then there was an outburst of violence and mayhem from a killer android in a female body and my equilibrium was restored. M3GAN (2022) was a fun if unremarkable sci-fi/horror movie in which the title robot - a companion and protector for a young girl - went way beyond her programming and turned into a killer. She was finally stopped, but the low-budget movie was a big box office hit so a sequel was assured and, to their credit, the filmmakers don't simply do a rehash. But the new film is far from a total success. Excessive length - it's almost 20 minutes longer than the first movie - is just one of the problems. Unlike the first film, which knew it was somewhat silly - M3GAN was reminiscent of Chucky from the Child's Play movies - this has a fair bit of lecturing, and it ain't subtle. At the start of M3GAN 2.0 - set two years after its predecessor - it's not M3GAN herself who's on the rampage. It's AMELIA (an acronym for Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android) who looks like an adult woman (played by Ivanna Sakhno). She is the product of a secret, dodgy program using the same technology as M3GAN but - this will sound familiar - has become self-aware and decided to do what she wants, when she wants. And her ambitions make M3GAN look like an underachiever. Meanwhile, M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an author and fierce advocate for regulating artificial intelligence. Gemma's relationship with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is still strained - quite apart from the traumatising events from before, the kid is an orphan who feels a bit neglected (and, of course, she's a moody teenager regardless). M3GAN is kept safely in a harmless little robot body, but when AMELIA's increasing control over computer systems and other technology gets out, it becomes clear Gemma will need to rebuild and upgrade M3GAN in order to take on the new threat. M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis) requests a taller body, a clever way to incorporate teen actress Amie Donald's growth spurt since the first film. But given what happened last time, can M3GAn be trusted? Director Gerard Johnstone - who scripted from a story he concocted with the first film's writer, Akela Cooper - keeps the pacing in the early part of the film crisp, but things slacken markedly as the film goes on, with lots of characters and story turns to follow. One new character is a billionaire jerk named Christian (Aristotle Athari) who might, possibly, be modelled on Elon Musk. Just a little bit. There's lots of tech talk and also copious discussion on the ethics of AI. It seems like we're intended to take the philosophical aspects seriously, but this really isn't the platform. Not that the ideas aren't worthwhile - especially when, in the real world, AI keeps getting pushed forward - but the handling didn't need to be so blatant. And this material sits uneasily beside the expected campier elements, such as M3GAN's foul-mouthed snark and the Knight Rider theme coming in out of nowhere (Tellytubbies, Knight Rider - are these references still current for younger viewers?) The second Terminator movie seems to be a big inspiration and, in a running joke, Steven Seagal and his movies keep coming up. In this instalment, M3GAN and AMELIA engage in martial arts fights. Well, it's different. It's just not great. Still, it's not a bad showcase for some New Zealand talent (it was filmed there) and some effects work was done in Australia. So not all technology is bad.
Daily Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Daily Telegraph
Two-year-old boy is officially the world's youngest genius
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. At just two years and 182 days old - yes, the 182 is relevant - Joseph Harris-Birtill is the youngest-ever member of Mensa; the exclusive society for people with exceptionally high intelligence quotients. Mensa, the world's largest and most recognized club for brainiacs, admits only those who score in the top 2% on standardized IQ tests — a threshold that starts at a score of 132. 'We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older – it's a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!' mum Rose, who lives in the UK, told Guinness World Records. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. RELATED: My kid was rejected from a Selective School and I'm ropable Joseph said his first words at seven months GWR and Joseph's parents have chosen not to reveal the toddler's exact IQ. However, they have shared that he's surpassed the record of the youngest-ever Mensa member, a title previously held by Isla McNabb, who was awarded the honor in 2023 when she was two years and 195 days old. To qualify for membership, individuals must demonstrate exceptional cognitive abilities in various intellectual areas, including problem-solving, logic and language comprehension. Joseph's mum said: 'It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being — he first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at 1¾ years." Joseph Harris-Birtill is a tiny genius. Image: Guinness World Records. "Kind, loving, confident and curious" 'By 2¼ years old, he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages, and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100.' Joseph's world record should come as no surprise. His parents are academic professionals, and were able to see early on that Joseph's abilities were unusual for his age. Rose, an honorary senior lecturer at the University of London, and David, a senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews, reached out to Mensa to get support for their son whom they knew was extraordinarily gifted. 'He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn't come across before,' Rose shared. Joseph's family is proud of more than just his intellect, too. His mum noted that : 'He is very kind and loving, confident and curious, and incredibly determined. "It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them." Originally published as Two-year-old boy is officially the world's youngest genius
