https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-67999226 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * Your account * Home * News * Sport * Earth * Reel * Worklife * Travel * More menu More menu Search BBC * Home * News * Sport * Earth * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Culture * Future * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * Israel-Gaza war * War in Ukraine * Climate * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech More * Science * Entertainment & Arts * Health * In Pictures * BBC Verify * World News TV * Newsbeat * England * Regions * Oxford Oxford researchers use hedgehog crash test dummies to limit lawnmower injuries * Published 3 days ago Share close panel Share page Copy link About sharing Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen laying on the grass with a hedgehog next to a robot mowerImage source, Troels Pank Image caption, Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen studied how live hedgehogs reacted to robot lawnmowers Crash test dummy models of hedgehogs are being used to assess whether robotic lawnmowers are a danger to the mammals in real life. Oxford University researchers devised a test to assess the effects of different autonomous mowers on the creatures. The 3D-printed models are made of a soft rubbery plastic that resembles the body composition of a hedgehog. It is hoped manufacturers will use the system to make sure their products are "hedgehog safe" before they go on sale. Lead researcher Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen - known on social media as Dr Hedgehog - said there was an "urgent need to identify and phase out" lawnmowers that posed a threat to the vulnerable species. 3D printed object shaped like a hedgehog with spinesImage source, Sophie Lund Rasmussen Image caption, It is hoped the crash test dummies will help manufacturers develop hedgehog-friendly mowers She said all the mowers she tested had to physically touch the hedgehog in order to detect it, and some did not detect it at all and ran over it with the blades still running. The researchers also worked alongside a rehabilitation centre in Denmark to establish how live hedgehogs reacted to a bladeless robotic mower. Each hedgehog was tested twice and tended to act more shyly on their second encounter, suggesting they may eventually learn to avoid the machines. Dr Rasmussen said: "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." Co-author of the study Dr Anne Berger, of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany, said: "Cut injuries from robotic lawnmowers are placing an enormous burden on many hedgehog care centres. ...[these] models could help prevent a considerable amount of animal suffering." The research was funded by Husqvarna, STIHL, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the Carlsberg Foundation. Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: "Hopefully, the results of this work will stop or drastically reduce the risk of robotic lawnmowers causing harm to hedgehogs." Presentational grey line Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk. Related Topics * Endangered species * Gardening * Hedgehogs * Oxford * University of Oxford More on this story * Hedgehog signs to be considered by council + Published 9 January European hedgehog * Hedgehog fence aids recovery of threatened seabirds + Published 17 November 2023 An adult little tern feeding a chick with a small fish on a pebble beach * Firefighter rescues hedgehog from burning barn + Published 12 October 2022 Hedgehog Related Internet Links * University of Oxford * The British Hedgehog Preservation Society The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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