Israel life science news
Agritech start-up MiRobot's innovation is a robot that will completely automate milk production, at a far lower cost than anything else available. Automated milking systems that are on the market are not really appropriate for large dairy farms. That's why the idea of a robot for large farms — one that can handle hundreds of cows quickly and efficiently. The MiRobot system enables farmers to make sure their cows are 'covered' any time of day or not - automatically, without the need for human workers to prepare the cow for milking. MiRobot's system is a lot cheaper (it is set to cost only $12,000); on a cost per milking basis for the 8-10 years the system can be expected to last, the system will save farmers significant amounts of money. The system sacrifices exacting accuracy, with parts and algorithms approximating the areas that the robot arms have to target in order to get the work done. But that's fine for a milking station. The cow's teat — and the cow itself — is large enough that if the cup is positioned a few millimeters to the left or right, the milking process will be able to continue without a problem.'
Instead of working on precise actions, MiRobofs main technology boost is in its patented imaging system, which directs the robot to the right area that it needs to target. Thus, when a cow walks into the milking stall, the robot, which is stationary, will sort of wrap its arms around the teat, attaching an already cleaned cup and proceeding with the milking operation (the cow is meanwhile busy eating, so it doesnt mind that it's being manipulated). If the cow does get upset, though, it won't be able to do too much damage to the robot, as it is made of flexible plastics, rubber, and other material that will bounce right back if a cow (they're usually pretty hefty) steps on it or kicks it.
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