Latest news with #seagulls
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Domino's unveils robotic dog for beach pizza deliveries
Domino's UK has unveiled Domidog, a robotic canine designed to deliver pizzas to customers at beach locations, Irvine Times has reported. The prototype aims to mitigate the issue of seagulls, which have been identified as a common annoyance for those visiting seaside areas. Surveys indicate that seagulls are among the top ten irritants for beachgoers in the UK, with 61% of respondents expressing concern over food pinching by these birds, noted the publication. Other complaints include insufficient toilet facilities (40%), overcrowding (37%) and uncontrolled dogs (17%). The study, which involved 1,500 coastal visitors, found that one in three individuals had experienced seagulls stealing their food, highlighting a demand for effective solutions to safeguard snacks during beach outings. Domidog, created by Boston Dynamics, has previously been employed in various critical roles, such as search and rescue operations and bomb disposal, stated Bristol Live. The robot is equipped with sensors, stereo cameras and localisation systems, enabling it to navigate its surroundings autonomously. With its 360-degree vision capability, Domidog can skillfully navigate around obstacles while delivering orders. The introduction of this robotic delivery system reflects Domino's efforts to improve the experience for customers at popular beach destinations, where seagulls remain a persistent concern. Domino's executive Izzy Gardener was quoted by the Irvine Times as saying: 'Seagulls have claimed too many seaside snacks, and it's time we did something about it. 'We're always exploring new and innovative ways to keep your pizza as hot and fresh as possible on its delivery journey. That's why we're trailing Domidog this summer: a tech-driven answer to an age-old beach problem.' "Domino's unveils robotic dog for beach pizza deliveries" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Domino's launches Domidog - the K9 robot delivering pizzas to you on the beach
Domino's has created Domidog - a robot K9 designed to safely deliver pizza to customers at the beach. Although the pizza pup won't replace traditional drivers, the prototype is being launched this summer to protect against swarms of seagulls who swoop on food at seaside hotspots. The brand designed the fun robot pooch alongside research, which put seagulls in the top 10 things that bother Brits the most at the beach. It emerged that one in three admit they have fallen foul of the boisterous birds who circle the skies and swoop for food, according to 1,500 polled who visit the seaside. Meanwhile, 59% wish there were a way to easily protect their snacks from seagulls when at the seaside. Domino's creates robot dog to deliver pizza at seaside locations Izzy Gardener from Domino's said: 'Seagulls have claimed too many seaside snacks, and it's time we did something about it. 'We're always exploring new and innovative ways to keep your pizza as hot and fresh as possible on its delivery journey. 'That's why we're trailing Domidog this summer: a tech-driven answer to an age-old beach problem.' Before turning pizza pup, the Boston Dynamics robot has proven its capabilities: supporting search and rescue operations, assisting bomb squads and advancing robotics research in human-robot interaction. What annoys you the most when visiting the beach? (Image: Joe Pepler/PinPep) Now, it's putting those same advanced systems to work on a new mission - guarding your pizza from airborne snack thieves. Complete with a hi-tech spec, it can autonomously navigate its environment using onboard sensors, stereo cameras, and advanced localisation technology. Other features like 360 degree perception also help it to effortlessly avoid obstacles while delivering. From the research, when asked what grated their gears most about the greedy gulls, stealing food (61%) naturally topped the list, followed by their aggressive behaviour (50%). With one in 10 going as far as to say the badly behaved birds have damaged their property, while 19% claim they'd scared small children, according to the data. Additionally, limited toilets (40%), big crowds (37%), and unruly dogs not on leads (17%) also made the top 10 list. Recommended reading: I tested the Aldi robot vacuum against Amazon's top-rated Ultenic - I'm in love Tesco shopper discovers secret hack to get free items with your food shop Aldi expert reveals 5 fridge storage hacks to make food last (and save money) Top 10 things that bother people at the beach Lack of toilets nearby Crowded beaches Litter Expensive/limited parking Seagulls Dogs off the lead Strong winds Getting sun burn Limited parking Sand in food Izzy added: 'Thanks to this prototype, seaside visitors will have a sure-fire way to keep slices safe and secure at the seaside – without them heading off into the sky.'
The Sun
13-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
Royal Mail deliveries AXED in seaside village after terrified posties are forced to take drastic action
POSTIES are dodging deliveries in a street where aggressive seagulls keep dive-bombing them. There have been so many attacks that villagers have been asked to collect their letters from the depot or get them delivered elsewhere. 2 2 The birds are said to have been nesting in Wright Close in Caister, Norfolk, for a decade. But experts say they are particularly aggressive at this time of year as they are protecting their chicks. It has led Royal Mail to tell staff not to feel under pressure to make deliveries in the street. Villager Marion Gibbs, 75, said: 'I was out walking and a gull hit me on the head.' Chairman of Caister Parish Council Kevin Wood said: 'I get dive-bombed when I'm walking my dogs. I put an umbrella up. People sometimes put spikes on their roofs, but that doesn't work. 'It happens all over Caister. There's nothing we can do.' A Royal Mail spokesman said: 'The activities of seagulls in the area is, at times, making it difficult for our postmen and women to safely deliver to some addresses. 'We are still attempting deliveries. Customers can nominate a different delivery address or collect their mail from the delivery office.'
BBC News
13-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Could we recycle more rubbish in North West of England?
It is a warm afternoon and the sky above the Whinney Hill landfill site near Accrington is full of seagulls. Hundreds of them fly across the site, some landing to forage amongst the bags of rubbish. The air smells rancid. The site has been operating since the 1970s and takes household waste from across East Lancashire, but it has grown and it is now expanding towards residential areas."It's best described as being horrific," says local resident Gary Hough when I ask him what it is like to live near the site. "The mess that the gulls drop on your vehicles, on your home, onto your driveway, your garden furniture, your washing. "Depending on the wind direction, the smell can vary from mild to absolutely disgusting."Whinney Hill landfill site is run by Suez. It said the firm was regulated by the Environment Agency and also explained that Lancashire has one of the largest seagull colonies in Europe. After the coronavirus pandemic, the gulls came inland to find food. "As the birds are a protected species, we are able to take non-lethal preventative measures to ensure the seagulls do not feed from the site, such as the use of gas canons, blank firing pistols, pyrotechnics, lasers and birds of prey," a spokesman says. Suez also says it regularly meets the local community to discuss concerns and it manages the smell by covering the waste and has landfill gas controls. However, Mr Hough says residents want it closing down. "Why should we suffer in a residential community from 15 boroughs worth of household waste?"Dr Edward Randviir, senior lecturer in chemistry at Manchester Metropolitan University says: "There is a lot of environmental impacts of landfills."It creates biomethane which gets emitted to the atmosphere. "Sometimes this is captured by the companies. Some waste gets out and gets blown around. "Even though they are encased within these cells, you do get some pollution which leaches out, even though there are mechanisms to try and stop that from happening." Landfill is seen as the worst option for our black bin waste. We have been burying our rubbish for decades and despite attempts to reduce it, about 8% still goes to landfill. In the North West of England, we send 290 tonnes of household waste to landfill every year. There are 50 landfill sites in the region and 21 are already at capacity. In a bid to reduce how much we send to landfill, councils have been hit with higher charges. The main alternative is to burn it. We send about 43% of our region's waste to incinerators like the EFW Facility in Runcorn, which is run by Virador. It burns 3.5 million tonnes of rubbish every year, rubbish which can't be process creates electricity, but here too some residents are unhappy. The incinerator blocks Ralph Owen's view of the Mersey Estuary."The noise from the plant is incessant," he says."It's a dull, droning noise. I don't open my bedroom windows at night. "The noise is too disturbing…to have actually moved what is a dirty industry so close, beggars belief." He is also worried about the local air quality. Operators have an obligation to capture any toxic gases. Virador says its operation is preventing millions of tonnes of waste going to landfill and it takes its environmental responsibility seriously. It says it has "state-of-the-art processing and filtration systems that ensure emissions comply with environmental permits and wider regulation".The site here is set to expand to build a carbon capture plant. Mr Owen says that means more industry on his what about levels of recycling? And why aren't they more impressive?We recycle just 45% of household waste in the region. In Greater Manchester about a million tonnes of cans and plastic bottles a year end up at the combined authority's recycling centre in Sharston. Levels of recycling in the region are above the national average example, Stockport recycles about 60% of its household levels of recycling are stagnating. Alison Fare, from Recycling Greater Manchester, says: "I think we've hit a point nationally where most places are recycling as much as they can." She says once they have a new materials recovery facility, they will be able to recycle plastic bags, films and wrappings. But the levels are also affected by contaminated loads. 'Collective responsibility' Daniel Carolan, from Suez, which runs the centre, says: "It's a real shame if the teams have been out for two or three hours and the bin wagon is full. "They might have collected 400 or 500 bins that day, but if 10 of them have the wrong things inside, it affects the whole load."While he thinks people could recycle more he believes the answer is a much bigger issues."We can't recycle ourselves out of trouble," he says. "We need to re- educate ourselves, and ask does this need to be thrown away, or could it be reused or repaired?"And that solution is echoed by many. Dr Randviir says: "We have to have a collective responsibility for waste. "Not least because it is a wicked problem. "It is not just the collectors who have a responsibility, it is us as consumers, it is us as disposers of waste. "We all have a collective responsibility in my view." Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Seagulls Scream at Indoor Cat Through Window in the Rudest Drive-by
Seagulls Scream at Indoor Cat Through Window in the Rudest Drive-by originally appeared on Parade Pets. A poor Tuxedo cat had an absolute Alfred Hitchcock moment (and I am talking about the iconic 1963 movie, The Birds) when seagulls decided to dive-bomb the apartment window the poor kitty was gazing out of in Glasgow City. To be fair, it seems the cat is totally OK trying to catch the seagulls who are trying to absolutely smash the window to get to the feline. I'm not sure how everyone is so calm in this scenario! I'm panicked, and I don't even live there! The video was shared on the @Jennifafas TikTok account, and people are disturbed, to say the least!One person commented, "Those seagulls are rage-baiting your cat." Another person noticed what I did and said, "Sheesh! That seagull seriously swooped back to laugh in your cat's face!" This whole scene would make me nervous, especially if the poor kitty ever got outside! Who knows? The seagulls might remember him and come back to laugh in his face up close and personal, LOL. Seagulls don't hate cats exactly — not in a personal, grudge-holding, feathered-enemy-for-life kind of way — but they absolutely act like bullies when they want to. If there's food involved or they feel like a cat is getting too close to their turf, they'll swoop in, scream like banshees, and chase whoever off, like they own the sky. It's not so much hate as it is pure chaotic energy mixed with territorial drama. They're loud, aggressive, and not afraid to throw their weight around, especially during nesting season when they get even more intense. And if another cat has something tasty? Like a Stray Cat being fed on the street? Forget it. That snack is fair game in the gull's mind. So no, they don't hate Street Cats, but they sure don't mind terrorizing them like it's their full-time job. 🐶SIGN UP to get 'pawsitivity' delivered right to your inbox with inspiring & entertaining stories about our furry & feathered friends🐾🐾 Seagulls Scream at Indoor Cat Through Window in the Rudest Drive-by first appeared on Parade Pets on Jul 8, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade Pets on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
