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Topic: Downloading the fence to the cows (Read 563 times) |
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rhinoceros
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Downloading the fence to the cows
« on: 2004-06-09 15:35:08 » |
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Virtual fences to herd Wi-Fi cattle
by Celeste Biever, New Scientist news service
June 07, 2004
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995079
Virtual, moving fences controlled from a laptop could one day herd cattle to fresh fields for grazing, a roboticist told the MobiSys 2004 conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
A farmer would control multiple herds from a single server at home as if they were playing a video game, said Zack Butler, of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Although static virtual fences already keep dogs inside yards in affluent US neighbourhoods, no-one has attempted a moving virtual fence before, nor attempted to apply the idea to large herds of animals. "Basically we download the fences to the cows," says Butler. "We say: 'Today stay here, tomorrow go somewhere else."
Butler and his colleagues have written software that transmits the chosen GPS co-ordinates of a virtual fence to head-collars worn by the cows in the field.
When a cow strays towards these co-ordinates, software running on the collar triggers a stimulus chosen to scare the cow away, such as a sound or a small electric shock - this is the "virtual" fence. The software also "herds" the cows when the position of the virtual fence is moved.
PDA and GPS
Each collar is equipped with a Wi-Fi networking card, a Zaurus PDA, an eTrex GPS unit and a loudspeaker, all of which are off-the-shelf components. The server and the collars communicate using the 802.11B Wi-Fi standard, using a Wi-Fi base station in the field.
Butler points out that some watering holes are already equipped with electrical pumps powered by solar generators. These could be converted into solar-powered Wi-Fi base stations, he says. Furthermore, cattle visit watering holes regularly, meaning the latest GPS data could be downloaded even if some parts of the pasture were out of Wi-Fi range.
The group has tested a static version of the virtual fence on 10 cows in a field in Vermont that was one square kilometre in size. They have only tested the moving version on a group of students.
"We have done this on a few research animals but it is not quite ready for prime-time," explains Butler. The technology appears to be working, but stimulus is not deterring the animals.
Roaring tigers
The warning currently being used is one of a library of sounds intended to scare a cow, including roaring tigers, barking dogs and hissing snakes. The group's tests showed that while these sounds slow the cattle down - they receive the signal - they do not always stop them crossing the virtual fence.
However, Butler notes that the US Department of Agriculture has shown that cows respond much better to a combination of sounds and electric shocks which increase in intensity the closer the animal gets to a virtual fence.
He believes the system would be especially attractive to farmers in Australia who must move cattle across ranches that range up to 22,000 square kilometres - roughly the size of Massachusetts.
Currently farmers herd the cattle on horseback, motorcycles or even in helicopters, and have to open and close gates frequently, all requiring many workers and considerable time.
In future, the collar could even be equipped with additional sensors, he says, perhaps to monitor the cows' health and radio data back to the central server.
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Networked Cows: Virtual Fences for Controlling Cows (pdf)
http://lcawww.epfl.ch/luo/WAMES%202004_files/wames_Networked%20Cows.pdf
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Lise Carlstrom
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I love YaBB SE!
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Re: virus: Downloading the fence to the cows
« Reply #1 on: 2004-06-10 00:51:59 » |
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That rocks!!
--Eva
--- rhinoceros <rhinoceros@freemail.gr> wrote:
>
>
> Virtual fences to herd Wi-Fi cattle
> by Celeste Biever, New Scientist news service
> June 07, 2004
>
>
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995079
>
> Virtual, moving fences controlled from a laptop
> could one day herd cattle to fresh fields for
> grazing, a roboticist told the MobiSys 2004
> conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
>
> A farmer would control multiple herds from a single
> server at home as if they were playing a video game,
> said Zack Butler, of Dartmouth College in Hanover,
> New Hampshire.
>
> Although static virtual fences already keep dogs
> inside yards in affluent US neighbourhoods, no-one
> has attempted a moving virtual fence before, nor
> attempted to apply the idea to large herds of
> animals. "Basically we download the fences to the
> cows," says Butler. "We say: 'Today stay here,
> tomorrow go somewhere else."
>
> Butler and his colleagues have written software that
> transmits the chosen GPS co-ordinates of a virtual
> fence to head-collars worn by the cows in the field.
>
> When a cow strays towards these co-ordinates,
> software running on the collar triggers a stimulus
> chosen to scare the cow away, such as a sound or a
> small electric shock - this is the "virtual" fence.
> The software also "herds" the cows when the position
> of the virtual fence is moved.
>
> PDA and GPS
>
> Each collar is equipped with a Wi-Fi networking
> card, a Zaurus PDA, an eTrex GPS unit and a
> loudspeaker, all of which are off-the-shelf
> components. The server and the collars communicate
> using the 802.11B Wi-Fi standard, using a Wi-Fi base
> station in the field.
>
> Butler points out that some watering holes are
> already equipped with electrical pumps powered by
> solar generators. These could be converted into
> solar-powered Wi-Fi base stations, he says.
> Furthermore, cattle visit watering holes regularly,
> meaning the latest GPS data could be downloaded even
> if some parts of the pasture were out of Wi-Fi
> range.
>
> The group has tested a static version of the virtual
> fence on 10 cows in a field in Vermont that was one
> square kilometre in size. They have only tested the
> moving version on a group of students.
>
> "We have done this on a few research animals but it
> is not quite ready for prime-time," explains Butler.
> The technology appears to be working, but stimulus
> is not deterring the animals.
>
> Roaring tigers
>
> The warning currently being used is one of a library
> of sounds intended to scare a cow, including roaring
> tigers, barking dogs and hissing snakes. The group's
> tests showed that while these sounds slow the cattle
> down - they receive the signal - they do not always
> stop them crossing the virtual fence.
>
> However, Butler notes that the US Department of
> Agriculture has shown that cows respond much better
> to a combination of sounds and electric shocks which
> increase in intensity the closer the animal gets to
> a virtual fence.
>
> He believes the system would be especially
> attractive to farmers in Australia who must move
> cattle across ranches that range up to 22,000 square
> kilometres - roughly the size of Massachusetts.
>
> Currently farmers herd the cattle on horseback,
> motorcycles or even in helicopters, and have to open
> and close gates frequently, all requiring many
> workers and considerable time.
>
> In future, the collar could even be equipped with
> additional sensors, he says, perhaps to monitor the
> cows' health and radio data back to the central
> server.
>
> -----------------------
>
> Networked Cows: Virtual Fences for Controlling Cows
> (pdf)
>
http://lcawww.epfl.ch/luo/WAMES%202004_files/wames_Networked%20Cows.pdf
>
>
>
> ----
> This message was posted by rhinoceros to the Virus
> 2004 board on Church of Virus BBS.
>
<http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=61;action=display;threadid=30484>
> ---
> To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to
<http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
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Drakeo Vortex
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Re:Downloading the fence to the cows
« Reply #2 on: 2004-06-10 06:14:08 » |
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Sounds like this program will be taken over by the US government pretty soon. I can't wait till we have to wear something similar in the military.
It would also be nifty if you could have a pet but not need to care for it or keep track of it.
Wait, how about satelite controlled tigers or hippos that travel with these fences and attack. Negative Reinforcement can cause almost any complicated set of actions.
I can't wait. This tech will definitely be misused.
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Blunderov
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"We think in generalities, we live in details"
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RE: virus: Re:Downloading the fence to the cows
« Reply #3 on: 2004-06-10 08:37:46 » |
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jubungalord
Sent: 10 June 2004 12:14 PM
Sounds like this program will be taken over by the US government pretty
soon. I can't wait till we have to wear something similar in the military.
It would also be nifty if you could have a pet but not need to care for it
or keep track of it.
Wait, how about satelite controlled tigers or hippos that travel with these
fences and attack. Negative Reinforcement can cause almost any complicated
set of actions.
I can't wait. This tech will definitely be misused.
----
[Blunderov] A small step to virtual prisons from this beginning. Think of
the cost savings! Think how pleased the shareholders will be that they can
'accommodate' so many more clients.
And those troublesome illegal, 'unspontaneous, demonstrations that break out
so often will become a thing of the past.
Best Regards
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