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350
YEARS
OF
SCIENCE
45
© Fred Olivier/John Downer productions
Adult and chick emperor penguins even
vocalize to communicate with the fake
chick rover (Le Maho,
et al. Nat Methods
2014; 11: 1242-4).
© Marco Monticone
With the emperor penguin, all turned out to be more complicated. Indeed, it does not defend any territory
when incubating its egg or chick, as this would prevent it from
huddling tightly with its fellows and thus reducing
energy expenditure in the polar cold.
However, if the rover is disguised
with a fake little chick, the
penguin allows to be
approached at the right
distance for electronic
identification to take
place. But the size
of a rover under the
disguise of a small
chick is a limitation
to the number of
scientific instruments
it can carry. Moreover,
such a rover may only be
used in the period of time
when there are small chicks.
It was therefore necessary to build
a fake adult emperor penguin. There is a big
obstacle to it: it is impossible to maintain it in an upright
position and make it move, as the speed of the wind often exceeds
100 km/h in Adélie Land. However, adults can be seen moving
on their stomachs with the help of their flippers and legs:
they are said to be “tobogganing”. This is how our new
project was born: within the international laboratory
we have created with the Institut pluridisciplinaire
Hubert-Curien de Strasbourg and the Monaco Scientific
Centre, and once again with the support of the Total
Foundation, a first prototype has been designed in
Strasbourg. It was completed in mid-January and then
sent to the Dumont d'Urville Station, in Adélie Land. Tests
are currently underway in the colony, while engineers are
working in Strasbourg on the articulation of its flippers and legs,
which it is for now unable to move. Another hurdle: the servomotors that,
until the present day, activate the robots may not be used because the sounds they
make are within the vocalization spectrum of the penguins. New methodological innovation is needed.