Wednesday, 15 June 2016 18:03

Cows happier not to see you

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Cows and robots go together: throw in face recognition software (FRS) and it's perfect for their happiness.

Why? Cows are happier when humans aren't around: they see us as predators. "No prey animal ever wants to see a predator," says David Hunt, co-founder of Cainthus, a company digitising agricultural practices. "The less cows see the happier they are. A cow doesn't know what a robot is, so isn't scared of it." Digital farms can include robots, but Cainthus has also created FRS that identifies cows so that farmers can identify potential problems early. With 1.4 billion cows on the planet, this technology can help on many farms -- the 'digital dairy' concept. Cainthus' FRS will be for sale this August or September, aimed at dairies with 2000 or more cows; it is not for small dairy famers. The 4K camera can identify any cow, solid colored or spotted, since even a solid black cow has variations in its coat.

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