Oxford team develops hedgehog test for robot lawnmowers

Hedgehog populations are in decline all across Europe, driven by habitat loss, intensive agriculture, and injuries from road traffic, dog bites and garden strimmers. Increasingly, hedgehog injuries are also being attributed to robot lawnmowers, as the devices become more popular.

Having previously conducted a study on the impact of different robot lawnmowers on the carcasses of dead hedgehogs, Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen – known on YouTube under the moniker Dr Hedgehog – has now devised a test using hedgehog ‘crash test dummies’ made from a pliable plastic. It is hoped that manufacturers of robot lawnmowers will be able to 3D print these hedgehog analogues in order to improve the safety features of their devices.

“There is an urgent need to identify and phase out models of robotic lawnmowers that pose a threat to hedgehogs,” said Dr Rasmussen.  

“Our new standardised safety test will greatly aid hedgehog conservation, by enabling manufacturers of robotic lawnmowers to ensure their models are ‘hedgehog friendly’ before they are put on the market.”