In humanities inevitable slide towards a Skynet-like world where machines dominate us all…
Drones now herd sheep.
While this might upset some…
Farmers find this new tech is a cost-effective and ‘totally bitchin’ way to handle their business.
22 year old New Zealand Sheepherder Michael Thomson has adopted the drone approach to move his 1,000 sheep across a 200-acre ranch. What was typically accomplished by four-by-four all terrain vehicles or horse, is now done with a mini-helicopter with four rotors in a fraction of the time.
“There are limitations, but you don’t have to get on a horse, you don’t have to feed it,” Mr. Thomson says. “Just give it more batteries.”
The drones can go for as little as 500 dollars, so many farmers have taken to embracing this new method to solve an old problem.
Most of the sheep seem to respond as expected, but occasionally, you will get an uppity one.
Thomson says some sheep will wait until the drone, “…is about a foot away from them and then they realize, Oh crap. I got to run. Sheep are naturally scared of things that might attack them.”
Or if it is a ram, it might get all head-butty about the intrusion…
Someday… the Sheep will get clever. They have already started experimenting with stealth counter-technology.
