IIoT with a side of milk: How automation is changing the dairy industry

It is undeniable that technology is affecting all aspects of our lives, but did you realize that robotic automation is changing the dairy industry? According to GeekWire, more than 30,000 autonomous milking machines have been sold around the world, and the trend is just now picking up speed in the United States. By 2025, as much as a quarter of the cows in North America could be milked by robots.

How does it work? Each cow has an RFID tag that identifies the cow and provides information about their last milking experience. While the cows are enjoying a mean of automatically dispensed feed, a robotic arm sanitizes the cow and begins the milking process. The system can even sense when the cow's milk has slowed to a trickle. And, if something goes wrong, the farmer gets an alert on his smart phone.

To learn more, read “How robots are taking over the milking parlor, and why that’s good for cows and farmers” from GeekWire.