LUCKNOW: Technology trumped monkey menace when a virtual assistant device came to the rescue of two children in UP’s Basti by replicating a dog’s bark powerful enough to scare off a primate who had invaded their home.
The episode unfolded Thursday when resident Pankaj Ojha left the main door of his house in Awas Vikas Colony open by mistake while rushing out to drop a guest at a nearby bus stop.
A large-sized intimidating monkey hopped into Ojha’s double-storey residence, vandalised the drawing room on the ground floor before climbing up to the kitchen on the first floor in search of food.
Next to the kitchen, Ojha’s sister-in-law Nikita (13) along with his 15-month-old daughter Vamika were playing in the bedroom when they spotted the monkey advancing towards them. Overcoming her fears, Nikita displayed quick presence of mind and gave a command to Amazon’s “Alexa“, to bark like a dog. The trick worked and the monkey, scared of the persistent barks, jumped off to a neighbour’s roof and then to a tree before vanishing from sight.
“There were no adults around when the monkey walked in. I was scared but determined to prevent an attack. I spotted the Alexa kept above the refrigerator in the kitchen and gave it the command. Since everything was happening so quickly, I was not sure whether the trick would work. Fortunately, it did,” said Nikita.
Ojha could not thank the device enough. “Most electronic appliances in my home are synced with Alexa. It’s usual for us to give commands and get things done. But for the first time, it saved the two kids in my house from an imminent monkey attack,” Ojha said.
The episode unfolded Thursday when resident Pankaj Ojha left the main door of his house in Awas Vikas Colony open by mistake while rushing out to drop a guest at a nearby bus stop.
A large-sized intimidating monkey hopped into Ojha’s double-storey residence, vandalised the drawing room on the ground floor before climbing up to the kitchen on the first floor in search of food.
Next to the kitchen, Ojha’s sister-in-law Nikita (13) along with his 15-month-old daughter Vamika were playing in the bedroom when they spotted the monkey advancing towards them. Overcoming her fears, Nikita displayed quick presence of mind and gave a command to Amazon’s “Alexa“, to bark like a dog. The trick worked and the monkey, scared of the persistent barks, jumped off to a neighbour’s roof and then to a tree before vanishing from sight.
“There were no adults around when the monkey walked in. I was scared but determined to prevent an attack. I spotted the Alexa kept above the refrigerator in the kitchen and gave it the command. Since everything was happening so quickly, I was not sure whether the trick would work. Fortunately, it did,” said Nikita.
Ojha could not thank the device enough. “Most electronic appliances in my home are synced with Alexa. It’s usual for us to give commands and get things done. But for the first time, it saved the two kids in my house from an imminent monkey attack,” Ojha said.
Source Agencies
