Having a pet comes with endless perks, from the loving snuggles to the warmest of welcomes every time you walk through the front door.
But, of all the responsibilities that come with having a pet, picking up their sh*t has probably got to be up there with the worst of them.
In fact, I bet you’d be hard pushed to find a single dog owner who didn’t even slightly resent their four-legged friend when it comes to standing in the back garden doing a poo scavenge.
That’s why a company has done the honourable thing by inventing a robot that finds, detects and automatically scoops up your dog’s poop, so you’ll never have to do the dirty work ever again.
The machine, called Beetl, is equipped with computer vision and front cameras to help them seek out the dog sh*t, and once it lays eyes on the faeces, the robot moves directly over it and uses a mechanical claw to scoop it up.
You can check out the miracle invention doing its thang right here:
Fortunately, the robot has its own little sealed container for holding the poop until it can be disposed of.
In addition to successfully detecting excrement, Beetl’s sensors also allow it to avoid any obstacles in its way and stay within a set perimetre. All the owner needs to do is set boundaries on your lawn, then allow the robot to roam around and ‘sniff out’ your dog’s poop.
Its advanced AI can be connected to a cloud network, allowing the robot to learn and develop new ways.
Unfortunately, the machinery is still in the testing stage, which means for now, you’ll have to get back out there and pick up your poop by hand.
Bummer.
This isn’t the first time technology has been used to clean up after us living creatures, after a Dutch start-up announced it was employing drones to combat the 220 million pounds of dog sh*t left on the streets of the Netherlands’ streets each year.
Next thing we’ll be inventing is robots to wipe our arses for us, so we truly never have to lift a finger ever again.
And we wonder why people are worried about robots taking over the world?
This story has been reposted and is not contemporary news.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.