With four wheels instead of legs, SwagBot is obviously more of a machine than a cow. However, researchers from the University of Sydney say the robot is on its way to becoming the World’s First “smart cow.” According to the researchers, it can make cattle farming more efficient and environmentally friendly.

SwagBot

The SwagBot autonomous robot moves through a field in Australia; Photo: REUTERS/Cordelia Hsu

SwagBot was first launched in 2016 as a herding robot capable of traversing rugged terrain. Since then, the researchers have updated the “smart cow” with sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning systems. They say the battery-powered SwagBot can now determine pasture’s health, type, and density and monitor livestock’s health.

Then, it uses this information to herd the cattle toward the best pasture autonomously. It moves them again before the land is overgrazed and the soil degrades. It can also feed data back to the farmers.

Once the cattle are used to the robot, they will follow the robot around,” said Salah Sukkarieh, University of Sydney professor of robotics and intelligent systems. Sukkarieh’s team also developed SwagBot. “You want to move the animals to the right part of the pasture where there is good protein, good carbs,” he said. “You want to be able to do that in a very fluid manner without fences.”

A Growing Trend in Agriculture

The SwagBot robot is still in development; Photo: REUTERS/Cordelia Hsu

Australia is one of the largest beef exporters in the world. Around 30 million cattle spread across the vast, often dry, landscape. In addition, the pastures can be poor. Farmers constantly assess how many animals their land can support but have little control over where they graze. Overgrazing can lead to poorer soil that supports less plant and animal life.

“It (SwagBot) allows us to assess our paddocks in real-time in a much more detailed way,” said part-time farmer Erin O’Neill. “That allows us to know what bits of pasture are most nutritious, particularly if you’ve got cattle like we do that are pregnant and therefore need a higher quality pasture to aid them through that pregnancy,” she said.

SwagBot is still in development, but it’s part of a growing trend in agriculture: robots are making production more efficient and cost-effective.