Sydney University

Robot cow-herder a hit with farmers.

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Robots could be used in the future to round up cows on dairy farms, according to researchers.

A four-wheeled device, known as Rover, has been tested by a team at Sydney University. It was used to move a herd of cows from a field to a dairy.

Researchers were amazed at how easily cows accepted the presence of the robot.

They were not fazed by it and the herding process was calm and effective, they said.

Because the robot moved in a steady manner it allowed cows to move at their own speed which was important in reducing lameness among cattle, Dr Kendra Kerrisk, dairy researcher and associate professor, told the BBC.

Robots are already used in the milking process but the team wanted to see if they could be used in other areas of dairy farming.

The robot was adapted from one that was already being used to monitor fruit and trees on farms. A team at Sydney University’s Centre for Field Robotics modified the robot so that it could be put in a field with cows in order for the researchers to gather data on robot-bovine interaction.

The prototype needs to be operated by a human but it’s hoped that in the future a version can be developed that will be fully automated.

Extremely excited

As well as herding cows a new version could also collect information useful for farmers.

According to the research team, the robot could be used at night to move slowly through the maternity paddock monitoring cows that are due to calve. It could also be used to gather data on soil and detect problems with electric fences.

Cows and milk churns
Using robots to get cows to the dairy will be better for their well-being say researchers

“The research is in its very early stages but robotic technologies certainly have the potential to transform dairy farming,” said Dr Kerrisk.

“When we have discussed this concept with farmers they have been extremely excited and we have had a flurry of calls and emails asking how they can get hold of one,” she added.

The robot could also cut down the number of accidents involving humans on farms. Most dairy farmers in Australia use quad bikes to round up their cattle and they are one of the leading causes of injury. The team hopes that by using the robot to do the job instead, accident rates could fall.

Since demonstrating the robot at a dairy symposium in Australia earlier in the year the team has secured funding to develop Rover the robot, mark II.

New mosquito repellent is ultra-effective – Australian Geographic

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A new vapour developed in the USA renders humans virtually undetectable to mozzies.

SCIENTISTS HAVE CREATED WHAT might be the most effective insect repellent ever.

While the majority of existing repellents create an odour that is unpleasant for mosquitos, using a yellow oil known as DEET, this new blend of chemicals renders the insect senseless.

“These chemicals make you invisible,” says Dr Ulrich Bernier, a research chemist at the United States Department of Agriculture research service, and creator of the new formula.

Most effective mosquito repellent?

With over 5000 reported cases of mosquito-borne Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses in Australia every year, this new formula could prove to be invaluable for Australians in rural and urban areas.

Mosquitoes find humans by honing in on various chemicals and bacteria on the skin. In 2000, while studying this process, Ulrich created a repellent consisting of several chemicals, all of which are found in low doses in the human body. The resulting repellent was somewhat effective.

Years later, Ulrich added additional chemicals to the formula, including homopiperazine and 1-methylhomopiperazine, similar to those found in the human body, which acted to mask the scent of humans. He was amazed by the results.

“We took a cage of mosquitoes and gave them two ports to fly into: one with human hands inserted into them, and the other one with nothing.” At first, Ulrich explains, the mosquitoes were attracted to the container with the human hands. After the repellent was sprayed, however, they approached the containers with equal interest.

Researchers are keeping close guard over the ingredients of the formula, which was patented last year.

Repellent in vapour form

Significantly, this new repellent will be sprayed into the air, as opposed to directly on the skin.

Dr Cameron Webb, a medical entomologist at Sydney University, says that while DEET-based sprays have proven to be adequate in preventing mosquito bites, this new development represents an important next-step in insect-borne disease control.

“When applying lotions or sprays onto the skin, one can easily miss a spot,” says Cameron. “Air-based repellents solve that issue.”

The new repellent will take the form of a vapour which will work to create a protective bubble. While DEET has been accepted as a safe means of repellent, Ulrich says it’s always safer to have chemicals further away from humans.

Commercial availability is still a ways off, however: Ulrich says more field tests and toxicology tests are necessary to ensure the product is completely safe before it can hit the market.