Robot to deliver meals on wheels for Bird Paradise's creatures

Robots on patrol, concierge duties also part of trial at Mandai Wildlife Reserve's parks

- Osmond Chia

The winged residents at wildlife attraction Bird Paradise will soon have their own food delivery service - courtesy of a robot.

A self- driving, all-terrain vehicle that can traverse slopes and damp pathways within the park will be deployed to send food to designated points near the birds' enclosures.

This delivery robot willbe joined at Mandai Wildlife Reserve's parks by a surveillance robot, which conducts safety patrols, and a concierge robot, which will interact with visitors and provide park information.

The three robots, which will be deployed in the first quarter of 2025, were unveiled on Nov 19 at a media showcase of a trial held by Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG), in collaboration with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Bird Paradise, which opened in November 2023, is designed to replicate the birds' natural habitats.

But delivering bird feed across the sprawling 17ha site is time-consuming for park keepers, who typically send heavy batches of feed on a buggy. Using robots for the task is one way to ease the load of employees, allowing them to focus on assisting guests and looking after the birds, said MWG.

IMDA and MWG said in a statement that the six-month trial is being conducted to evaluate the feasibility of outdoor robots.