Drone controlled by computer soon to round up sheep and cows... - Baa, baa robot! -

Drone controlled by computer soon to round up sheep and cows... - Baa, baa robot! - 


The bond between shepherds and their loyal sheepdogs is a rural image portrayed on television shows like the BBC's One Man His Dog.
But now the face of hill farming may soon change forever with the introduction of a battery-powered airborne robot to track and round up flocks.
The drone, developed by Frenchman Marc-Alexandre Favier, costs a few hundred pounds and could eventually be controlled by smartphone.

It uses cameras and image recognition software to find sheep and cows even in remote areas.

Favier, 27, a postgraduate student at Harper Adams University College, Shropshire, told the Sunday Times: 'It's amazing that the technology is becoming so developed that this sort of thing is possible.'
The son of a farmer, he has designed a prototype Unmanned Air System (UAS) to be used as an eye in the sky to manage and monitor livestock on very large and remote estates.

He used an AR Drone 2 with a camera attached to the bottom to allow the user to get a bird’s eye view and came up with a computer programme which instructs the drone to locate, recognise and track livestock.
Although the drone can be controlled via WiFi on a computer, the aim is for farmers to be able to control it using an iPhone or smartphone.

Favier  said: 'The number of robots for professional use is increasing significantly so it is very important to be up-to-date with robotics - it’s the future and the present.'
He said his prototype was designed with Scottish sheep farmers in mind, many of whom spend large amounts of time and cover many miles monitoring their livestock.
In America,  the U.S. Department of Defence in charge of military technology, has developed a robot dog that can run faster than Usain Bolt, follow its leader, and respond to commands
The LS3, or 'Alphadog' as it has been nicknamed, is so lifelike, that it can catch itself slipping on ice , easily navigates streams and ditches and and can carrying 400 pounds.
Other drones include hand grenade-sized robots that can be thrown into Afghanistan rebel compounds.
Former One Man presenter Clarissa Dickson Wright was unimpressed by the technological breakthrough. 'There is no substitute for a dog and a shepherd,' she said.


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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2331146/Baa-baa-robot-Drone-controlled-able-track-round-sheep-cows.html