In the "Wizard of Oz," all Scarecrow wanted was a brain and now researchers have given him one with the Erebus Scarecrow, which is a much-needed update to a classic farm tool. Instead of a head full of stuffing, Erebus has a noggin full of sensors and cameras. Designed by students at the University of South Florida, the smart scarecrow detects motion and then uses its cameras and image processing software to discriminate between intruders and non-intruders using programmed color recognition. If the scarecrow detects something out of the ordinary, Erebus can blast 120 decibels of gunshot sound and hits predator birds with high-speed but harmless streams of water. Plus, Erebus can email the user or call a cell phone to report an intrusion. While the bot was first developed to protect aquaculture farms from the onslaught of birds, the students say that Erebus could be equally useful in vineyards or orchards where deer, bears, or neighbors are more often the intruders.