Taiwan Develops Robots to Enhance Dairy Farm Efficiency and Sustainability

Farm floors in Taiwan are often equipped with grooved rubber mats to prevent livestock from slipping. However, the high density of dairy farms makes these surfaces challenging to clean, with manure often becoming trapped in the grooves. Imported cleaning machines are typically expensive and inadequate for this task, often requiring foreign maintenance. The new robot addresses these issues by providing a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

The robot will undergo testing in various climate conditions at dairy farms in northern and southern Taiwan next year. This will help verify its performance and allow further optimization of its functions.

Additionally, the institutes have developed an electric feeding machine that features a dual-motor system for distributing and pushing feed. This machine supports a model of multiple small meals, potentially boosting milk production by up to 30%. It is designed to be customizable for farms of different sizes and aims to reduce air pollution and noise compared to traditional diesel-powered equipment.

Lastly, a cow vocal recognition system has been developed to interpret cattle emotions and provide alerts for calving. The system has demonstrated an accuracy rate of 80% for detecting voice during calving and over 70% for emotion recognition. It has been tested at farms in Pingtung and Changhua.