ost of us grew up listening to the story of a wise cap- seller who managed to get his caps back by tricking the monkeys sitting on a tree. In the stories that we have read or heard, monkeys may have been depicted as humorous characters. However, in reality they are hostile, especially when the ever-increasing population of human race continues to invade into their territory. In Karkala taluk, which is located about 55 km away from Mangalore, Karnataka, monkeys were responsible for crop loss to the tune of Rs. 5 crore during 2010-11. Over 800 small farmers have given up cultivation because of monkey menace and around 1200 - 1400 acres of fertile land has been left fallow. Two committed suicide owing to crop loss and inability to repay bank loans and about 1800 farmers are living in abject poverty due to 75 percent crop damage by monkeys. While the old cap-seller’s story portrays the power of wisdom over weapons and muscle power, at the research labs of Bangalore based M.S. Engineering College, students and faculties are almost ready to unleash their latest innovation. “It is a giant Robotic Langur Monkey developed by our students and faculty members. This automated system with Robotic Langur at the center can produce over 17 different vocals by identifying the attitude of monkeys coming to the agricultural lands,” explains Dr. Cyril Prasanna Raj, Dean of Research and Development, M.S. Engineering College. Established in 2002 with a vision of developing an R&D department that can act as a nodal centre of national importance with global network, M.S. Engineering College has been true to its vision, which is evident from the number of research activities that have been carried out by the students and faculty members. In this era of
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