Autonomous drones to replace shepherds

A 19-year-old Australian farmer, Sam Rogers, has developed GrazeMate, a technology that allows herding livestock using autonomous drones without a pilot. The startup has already raised $1.2 million in investment and is preparing to scale operations across millions of acres of pasture.

According to Forbes Australia, the system enables farm owners to manage the process through a mobile app. Farmers simply select the desired field on the map and send the drone. The drone independently locates the livestock and guides them to the gates, tracking the animals’ movements in real time. Once the task is complete, the device sends a notification that the herd has moved to the new location.

“Instead of organizing people, preparing motorbikes, or calling a helicopter, the work simply gets done on its own. A farmer’s time is their most limited resource, as most farms are family-run and labor is scarce,” said Sam Rogers.

In addition to herding, the drones collect valuable data during flight:

• automatically reporting the amount of available pasture grass;

• estimating the herd’s weight;

• checking the condition of critical infrastructure, including water availability in troughs.

The technology is based on natural signaling principles. Rogers was inspired by Nepalese sherpas, who gather yaks using bell sounds. He replicated this method with drones, allowing large-scale operations without stressing the animals. GrazeMate currently has contracts covering a total of 1.7 million acres.

Tags: drones