Fukui Prefecture's Nanyōechizen Town and Osaka University of Economics Sign Agreement for Demonstration Research and Development Project on Wildlife Damage Control - Towards Solving Regional Issues Using AI and Robot Technology

On Monday, June 22, 2026, Osaka University of Economics signed a cooperation agreement with Nanyōechizen Town, Fukui Prefecture, for a "Demonstration Research and Development Project on Wildlife Damage Control."

In recent years, damage caused by wild animals has become a social issue that not only affects agricultural produce but also poses risks to human lives and the safety of local residents. Nanyōechizen Town faces the critical challenge of responding to damage caused by animals such as Asiatic black bears and Japanese deer. This agreement aims to achieve more effective and sustainable wildlife damage control by integrating the town's practical local knowledge with the advanced technologies in AI, robotics, and satellite communications from the Faculty of Information and Social Studies at our university.

From left: Nanyōechizen Town Mayor Norikatsu Nakakura, Associate Professor Satoshi Abiko of the Faculty of Information and Social Studies, and University President Shunichiro Yamamoto.

At the signing ceremony, Nanyōechizen Town Mayor Norikatsu Nakakura and our university's President Shunichiro Yamamoto signed the agreement and expressed their expectations for future collaboration.

Mayor Nakakura stated, "Wildlife damage control is increasingly important, evolving from efforts to protect agriculture to efforts to protect human lives. I hope this agreement will not only lead to solutions for wildlife damage but also encourage students to visit Nanyōechizen Town, fostering interaction with the community and developing new connections."

President Yamamoto remarked, "Our university is engaged in solving social issues through information technology and data utilization. We aim to resolve regional issues, provide practical learning opportunities for students, and create new value through 'co-creation' involving universities, local governments, communities, companies, and students."

Promoting Demonstration Research Utilizing AI and Robots

Following this, Associate Professor Satoshi Abiko of the Faculty of Information and Social Studies at our university explained the demonstration research and development project. In recent years, due to factors such as an aging population, an increase in abandoned farmland, and a shortage of hunters, the boundaries between human and wild animal habitats have become blurred, transforming wildlife damage from an issue of agricultural loss to a threat to the safety of local residents.

Based on the challenges identified in previous deterrence experiments using sound and light, such as "animal habituation," "limitations of effective range," and "labor required for management," this project will advance research towards developing autonomous wildlife damage control systems utilizing AI and robots, moving away from fixed and labor-intensive measures.

In fiscal year 2026, the project will primarily focus on the following three research and development areas: - Research and development of an "AI-powered snare trap" that identifies target animals using AI and prioritizes safety. - Demonstration experiments on wide-area wildlife damage suppression using the mobile robot "Wolfmover." - Demonstration experiments on autonomous patrols in mountainous and uneven terrain using quadruped robots.

Furthermore, by combining AI analysis of camera footage with cloud-based data storage and management, the project aims to create a system for tackling wildlife damage across the entire region, with a future vision of operating a map that visualizes animal occurrence information.

Our university will continue to address regional issues by leveraging advanced technologies through its collaboration with Nanyōechizen Town, while also creating practical learning opportunities for students and promoting the creation of new value through industry-academia-government collaboration.

Osaka University of Economics

▼Inquiries regarding this matter: Osaka University of Economics Planning and General Affairs Department, Public Relations Division Address: 2-2-8 Osumi, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka TEL: 06-6328-2431 E-mail: kouhou@osaka-ue.ac.jp