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October 3, 2008

Strange But True!

Q. How might today's e-cowboys retitle the old range song, “Get Along, Little Dogies”?

A. When Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticist Daniela Rus tackled an Australian cattle rancher's problem of herding 24,000 cows across a range land the size of Vermont, she devised a “smart collar” to help keep the cows from straying, says Science magazine. The bovines wore GPS-equipped headsets that made noises — like the sound of roaring lions or crashing cars — to scare them back if they started to leave the designated area. Eventually, researchers settled on barking dogs as the most effective noise. And if this didn't work, a solar-powered unit would deliver a mild electric shock. Now Rus is working on headsets programmed to herd the herds from pasture back to their barn, even logging in to follow specific cows. She and a colleague plan to add webcams so e-cowboys can scan for trouble and possibly use heart rate monitors to check animal stress loads.


 
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