An Investigation of Predator Response in Robotic Herding of Sheep

Author(s)
Evered, Mark P
Burling, Peter
Trotter, Mark
Publication Date
2014
Abstract
Research into robotic herding of farm animals has so far been restricted to simulations or very limited artificial environments. Models of herd response to herders as perceived predators vary greatly in complexity but all assume a 'flight distance' at which an animal will regard the threat as great enough to warrant movement. In this paper we report on an experiment to measure the flight distance for a flock of sheep with a robot herder in a real farm environment. Our results show that, rather than being stable, the flight distance decreases rapidly as the sheep become accustomed to the presence of the robot. This has significant implications for future work on intelligent robotic herding.
Citation
International Proceedings of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, v.63, p. 49-54
ISSN
2010-4618
Link
Language
en
Publisher
International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACSIT)
Title
An Investigation of Predator Response in Robotic Herding of Sheep
Type of document
Conference Publication
Entity Type
Publication

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