robotic dogs set to impress
University of the Sunshine Coast students have developed a voice-command app that allows human handlers to control robotic dogs for herding sheep. The project aims to assist farmers with labor-intensive tasks while maintaining human oversight of the technology.
Why it matters
This innovation demonstrates the practical application of AI and robotics in agriculture to improve efficiency and reduce physical labor.
Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.
University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) students have taught robodogs new tricks, developing a voice-command app that allows the machines to herd sheep under the direction of a human handler.
The upgraded Unitree Go2 robodogs will make their public debut alongside livestock at the Ekka from August 8-16, bringing a Jetsons-style glimpse of the future to Queensland’s largest agricultural show.
The project builds on previous UniSC research that trained robodogs to herd sheep autonomously using cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence.
But project supervisor Dr Erica Mealy said the latest advances came after listening to the people most likely to use the technology.
“Although the robodogs were originally intended to operate autonomously, working-dog handlers gave feedback indicating they wanted to remain in control,” Dr Mealy said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in