VMS Cow Milking Robot Runs Linux
October 21, 2005 | In: Artificial Intelligence, Linux Gadgets, Robots Cyborgs
Ok, this one was just too cool to pass up – A company called DeLaval, who’s been in the automatic cow milking machine business for over 100 years, is using Linux embedded technology to run robotic VMS (Voluntary Milking Systems). Here’s a few details from Linuxdevices.com:
When a cow decides to be milked, it enters an entry lock where it is identified. If a sufficient amount of time has elapsed since its last milking, the cow is allowed to enter and given a dietary concentrate. A multipurpose robotic arm then extends underneath the cow and, guided by laser and photo sensors, cleans and dries each teat before attaching vacuum milking cups.
Milk flow, quantity, and milking time are monitored individually for each of the cow’s four teats, and compared with historical values. Discrepancies are reported, and can be early indicators of illness or injury, the company says.
After milking, the vacuum cup lines are retracted, and the robotic arm sprays the cow’s underside with a disinfectant solution. The gate then opens, releasing the cow to the feeding area, and the VMS system cleans itself before allowing the next cow to enter.
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The VMS is based on a 2.4.18 kernel with ext3 and some real-time extensions added, Hansson says. The filesystem is derived from Red Hat 7.3, and the graphical user interface is based on xfree86.
And if you think that’s cool, check out these videos of the Linux powered VMS in action
[Source: Linux Devices Video: DeLaval]
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