It may look like a particularly poor entrant in Robot Wars but the Lion Rover has proved it is tough enough to take on the wildest of cats.

The remote-controlled vehicle, complete with zebra stripes and carrying a bag of zebra dung, was set free in a safari park's lion enclosure.

It was designed by two Sussex students in an attempt to help with the notoriously difficult study of lions' behaviour in captivity.

Psychology undergraduate Mark Jones, 21, from Hastings, said a TV nature documentary had inspired the innovative research tool.

The Lion Rover was the result of a collaboration with his friend Adam Gerschel-Clarke, a product design student at Brighton University.

Mark is aiming to assess the response of the lions to the motorised intruder and determine whether there are patterns to their actions.

He said: "The idea came from the Wildlife On One show which used a boulder-cam. I wanted to find a way to give them the opportunity to express their natural behaviour in a natural environment.

"It is good for them and, from an educational perspective, it is good for the public."

Mark spent his gap year travelling in Africa and plans to complete a masters degree in animal behaviour when he graduates from Stirling University in 2006.

Describing the Lion Rover, Mark said: "It is like a small remote-controlled tank and we attached a sack of zebra dung to it to give off a natural scent."

He followed the device, which can travel at up to 20mph, in his Volkswagen Polo during the first trial yesterday. One of his passengers controlled the Lion Rover while three people filmed the action at Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling.

Mark said: "When the Lion Rover first went in they were quite curious and a little bit wary. But then they started chasing it and pawing it.

"The cover is aluminium so they can do damage to it but it won't do damage to them. A steel frame protects the interior."

Park manager Gary Gilmour said the work would benefit the 20-strong pride of lions.

He said: "The Lion Rover stimulates their natural hunting skills as they have to chase and catch it.

"We don't have the man-hours to study the animals but the students can come here five days a week for eight hours a day.

"They can then present their ideas to us to help us enrich the behaviour of the animals at the park."