Pig farmers in Denmark have helped design a £13,000 robot they hope
will do their dirty work for them. Their pigsty-cleaning droid is simple but
effective. It’s a wheeled blue box 1.5 metres long that carries a spray nozzle
attached to a 2-metre arm, and is designed to spray large volumes of water at
the muck until it floats down drainage channels. Infrared sensors keep the droid
on track between the pigpens, and pressure switches tell it to reverse if it
bumps into anything.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
2
Understanding anorexia’s grip on the brain could unlock new therapies
3
Toy universe shows that time could be a quantum illusion
4
What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?
5
Dramatic photo of ibis being guided to their winter homes wins award
6
Why we should all take quantum physics extremely personally
7
Ditching cigarettes for vapes may curb the cancer benefits of quitting
8
Wolves seen hunting European bison in rare camera-trap recording
9
Have we finally worked out how Venus flytraps snap shut?
10
First quantum grandfather clock could probe where gravity comes from